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The Cybertruck is the latest in a series of Tesla vehicles that were announced with big fanfare but have failed to materialize anywhere close to the timeline presented initially.
To be fair, the pickup truck is the smallest offender from the list that also includes the Roadster and the Semi (some might also make a case for the Model S Plaid+, but we'll let that one slide). When it was first introduced, Musk vowed you'd be able to drive one by the end of 2021. However, by the time that happened, the Semi was already several months late, so anyone with their head screwed the right way should have known what to make of a Tesla deadline. Or so you'd think.
The word on the street is that Tesla has over 1.5 million pre-orders for the truck accumulated in just 18 months, with that number likely to grow as production start gets closer. The thing is, at this point, nobody really knows when that will be.
Officially, the company is still banking on a 2022 release, with Musk reinforcing that idea and promising more updates will be revealed during the upcoming earnings call. Given Tesla's reputation as well as the current state of the automotive industry – particularly the issues with the supply chain – you'll be forgiven if you don't necessarily make plans for a road trip in your Cybertruck this year.
Tesla could teach a masterclass in how to keep people engaged and hopeful the project is moving at a quicker pace than it actually is. The company knows when it's time to make sure somebody catches a glimpse of a testing prototype of the wedge-shaped all-electric pickup truck (and if it happens to have a comically large windshield wiper so everyone has plenty to talk about, all the better) or when to announce they're hiring people for positions that suggest production start is closing in.
That's all on the surface of it. In the meantime, the Cybertruck order page has just had any mention of a 2022 production start removed, a move that can't possibly fill any reservation holder with confidence. However, tease the people for long enough, and they will eventually settle for anything as long as they get to drive it. Not exactly up to specs (see the Plaid+ situation) or a bit more expensive (see how the Model 3 price evolved)? Not ideal, but not exactly a problem either. It's all acceptable in the Tesla world.
The word on the street is that Tesla has over 1.5 million pre-orders for the truck accumulated in just 18 months, with that number likely to grow as production start gets closer. The thing is, at this point, nobody really knows when that will be.
Officially, the company is still banking on a 2022 release, with Musk reinforcing that idea and promising more updates will be revealed during the upcoming earnings call. Given Tesla's reputation as well as the current state of the automotive industry – particularly the issues with the supply chain – you'll be forgiven if you don't necessarily make plans for a road trip in your Cybertruck this year.
Tesla could teach a masterclass in how to keep people engaged and hopeful the project is moving at a quicker pace than it actually is. The company knows when it's time to make sure somebody catches a glimpse of a testing prototype of the wedge-shaped all-electric pickup truck (and if it happens to have a comically large windshield wiper so everyone has plenty to talk about, all the better) or when to announce they're hiring people for positions that suggest production start is closing in.
That's all on the surface of it. In the meantime, the Cybertruck order page has just had any mention of a 2022 production start removed, a move that can't possibly fill any reservation holder with confidence. However, tease the people for long enough, and they will eventually settle for anything as long as they get to drive it. Not exactly up to specs (see the Plaid+ situation) or a bit more expensive (see how the Model 3 price evolved)? Not ideal, but not exactly a problem either. It's all acceptable in the Tesla world.
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