Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils his Cybertruck, but it’s already the butt of jokes
Tesla has lifted the curtain on its “Cybertruck” pickup vehicle, but Elon Musk was left red-faced when the truck’s windows were smashed during a demo meant to prove their toughness.
The billionaire could be heard swearing on stage before telling his audience there was “room for improvement”.
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Tesla’s angular design for the Cybertruck met with mixed reactions from the public. People said it “looks like something from Star Wars”, while another said it looked like “reality finally catches up to 80s computer games”.
Meanwhile Ford’s US spokesman merely posted this gif.
And CNET’s editor, Mark Serrels, posted pictures of Elon Musk smoking weed on a Joe Rogan podcast last year.
Others compared it to Xbox title Halo’s truck.
Musk had promised Tesla fans a “futuristic-like cyberpunk, Blade Runner pickup truck”.
On stage last night in California, he added that it was also a response to the Lotus Esprit that features in the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.
Despite the mixed reaction, the company’s first foray into the pickup truck market has at least seen it provide a promising list of specs.
Tesla claims the 6.5ft long truck will be able to do 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds, drive for 250 miles before needing a recharge, and two 3,400kg.
The most basic model should cost $39,900 (£30,600) while the top-level Cybertruck will boast a 500-mile range and hit 60mph in just 2.9 seconds, costing $69,900.
While the truck survived Musk’s attempts to beat it with a sledgehammer, Tesla’s head of design managed to break both left-side windows with a metal ball.
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Musk has made the first all-electric pickup truck in a market dominated by industry giants like Ford and Fiat Chrysler.
“We need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pickup truck, we can’t solve it,” Musk said.
“The top three selling vehicles in America are pickup trucks. To solve sustainable energy, we have to have a pickup truck.”