Elon Musk Hints at Tesla Cybertruck Being More Affordable Than the Ford F-150 Lightning

Tesla Cybertruck is a hot topic these days, as Tesla officially built the first electric pickup at Giga Texas. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the first deliveries, marked by a festive moment rumored to happen in September. Still, despite many Cybertruck sightings and leaks from the production line, Tesla's electric pickup remains a hard nut to crack for most observers. No technical data have been released, and the pricing strategy is mostly speculation.

When the Cybertruck was announced in 2019, Tesla said it would have a starting price of $39,900 for the base version with one motor and 250 miles (400 km) of range. The top trim, with three motors and 500 miles (800 km) of range, would retail for $69,900, according to initial estimates. Since then, Tesla removed the pricing and specifications from its website, maintaining that the Cybertruck would have more than 500 miles of range. This is not unlike other carmakers, which list the most favorable specifications, such as the longest range, best performance, and the lowest price, although they cannot be had simultaneously.

Previous rumors indicated that the first Cybertruck versions available to reservation holders would not offer more than 350 miles (560 km) of range. This still doesn't provide any indication about the performance or equipment. Those who placed a reservation are eager to take delivery of the Cybertruck, but many could face a sticker price shock when Tesla announces the pricing. Elon Musk said during Investor Day on May 16 that the Cybertruck would not be cheap, considering the new manufacturing process and the technologies involved.

Still, the same Elon Musk scoffed at the Ford F-150 Lightning price cuts, saying that it's "somewhat expensive." This started a speculation game as people tried to guess the Cybertruck pricing in light of this statement. If you've not paid attention to the EV market, Ford announced a massive price cut for the Lightning on Monday, with the starting price now at $49,995 for the entry-level Pro trim. That's almost $10,000 less than last week and closer to the promised $39,974 starting price when it was announced in 2021.

Inflation over the last three years and increased material costs might mean that Cybertruck's price would start higher than Tesla announced in 2019. Still, if the Lightning is overpriced, I expect Tesla to price the electric pickup below $50,000. This doesn't mean that Tesla would start selling the base version right away, so the Cybertruck should still be more expensive than that. However, the Platinum trim, the most expensive F-150 Lightning, has an MSRP of $91,995. I expect Tesla to slot the Cybertruck safely beneath this price.

Tesla also indicated that it would offer a quad-motor version of the Cybertruck as the top version, which was not in the original plan. Tesla competes in this segment with Rivian, whose R1T Quad-Motor variant costs $87,000. The Cybertruck should also have a lower price to make the Ford F-150 Lightning look overpriced. If the starting price lands below the $50,000 MSRP of the cheapest Lightning, Tesla has struck gold. I would not rule out a price war in the electric pickup truck segment, as I've seen Tesla becoming really good at this.