Photo: @SawyerMerritt, @JoeTegtmeyer via X
Tesla officially started the Cybertruck deliveries in November 2023, but that doesn't mean that anyone could get one. The first units have been assigned to influencers and celebrities, followed by company employees. Later, Tesla opened the order books to outsiders and is now assigning the VINs to regular customers who have no connection with the company.
Even though the first Cybertrucks were officially handed out to a few chosen ones on November 30, this didn't mean that anyone could get behind the wheel of Tesla's electric pickup truck. Those invited were mostly celebrities, influencers, and people close to Elon Musk. In the following days, the order books have been expanded to include more Tesla employees. Ordering the Cybertruck didn't mean that Tesla would deliver it soon, with some orders expected to be filled as far as this summer.
During this painful (for regular reservation holders) process, some have noticed that not all Cybertruck reservation holders were equal. Some of them have been invited to convert their reservations into orders several times, while others were still waiting for their turns. This caused an uproar on social media, prompting Tesla to take action and remove the duplicate orders. The new rule is that only one Foundation Series Cybertruck per person is allowed.
Tesla appears to get past these teething problems finally and is ready to start deliveries to regular customers. On Wednesday, dozens of people who have no connection with Tesla reported getting a Cybertruck VIN assigned. This was the first time regular customers were so close to having their Cybertruck delivered. Based on these reports, they were invited to configure a Cybertruck and placed the order around December 10.
The screenshots that these people shared on social media reveal that they ordered the Foundation Series Cybertruck AWD, which Tesla prioritized at Giga Texas. The Foundation Series sounds like a limited edition, but it's, in fact, a bundle that includes several features for a $20,000 premium. There's no indication of how many Foundation Series Cybertrucks will be offered. Since this package doesn't include any special modification to the truck, it could be offered for as long as people are willing to pay the price.
It's unclear how many Cybertrucks have been delivered so far. According to a crowdsourced tracker on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum, about 800 people have confirmed placing an order. Certainly, there must be other people who ordered a Cybertruck but had no idea of this forum or their Cybertruck tracker, so I guess there are many more orders than that already. Since Tesla invites people to order as they have slots available on the production line, I don't think it built many more Cybertrucks than that.
This was somehow expected, as Tesla is ramping up production at Giga Texas. Speaking about this during the Q3 2023 earnings call, Elon Musk warned that the ramp might prove more difficult than people imagined, considering the many new technologies that might cause bottlenecks. However, people following Giga Texas noticed a constant stream of Cybertrucks leaving the gigafactory on trailers, suggesting that the production was going according to plan. Tesla plans to reach a 250,000-unit annual capacity by the end of the year.
During this painful (for regular reservation holders) process, some have noticed that not all Cybertruck reservation holders were equal. Some of them have been invited to convert their reservations into orders several times, while others were still waiting for their turns. This caused an uproar on social media, prompting Tesla to take action and remove the duplicate orders. The new rule is that only one Foundation Series Cybertruck per person is allowed.
Tesla appears to get past these teething problems finally and is ready to start deliveries to regular customers. On Wednesday, dozens of people who have no connection with Tesla reported getting a Cybertruck VIN assigned. This was the first time regular customers were so close to having their Cybertruck delivered. Based on these reports, they were invited to configure a Cybertruck and placed the order around December 10.
The screenshots that these people shared on social media reveal that they ordered the Foundation Series Cybertruck AWD, which Tesla prioritized at Giga Texas. The Foundation Series sounds like a limited edition, but it's, in fact, a bundle that includes several features for a $20,000 premium. There's no indication of how many Foundation Series Cybertrucks will be offered. Since this package doesn't include any special modification to the truck, it could be offered for as long as people are willing to pay the price.
It's unclear how many Cybertrucks have been delivered so far. According to a crowdsourced tracker on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum, about 800 people have confirmed placing an order. Certainly, there must be other people who ordered a Cybertruck but had no idea of this forum or their Cybertruck tracker, so I guess there are many more orders than that already. Since Tesla invites people to order as they have slots available on the production line, I don't think it built many more Cybertrucks than that.
This was somehow expected, as Tesla is ramping up production at Giga Texas. Speaking about this during the Q3 2023 earnings call, Elon Musk warned that the ramp might prove more difficult than people imagined, considering the many new technologies that might cause bottlenecks. However, people following Giga Texas noticed a constant stream of Cybertrucks leaving the gigafactory on trailers, suggesting that the production was going according to plan. Tesla plans to reach a 250,000-unit annual capacity by the end of the year.
UPDATE: Another non-employee just DM'd me showing me he has received his Cybertruck VIN. Both of these guys are from CA, were never Tesla employees, and both ordered Foundation series AWDs. pic.twitter.com/Zu9fBggCuh
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 11, 2024
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