Photo: Daniel Golson
Tesla will deliver the first Cybertrucks units to customers on November 30, as it previously announced. Yet, three weeks before the major event, the Cybertruck pre-production pickups spotted in the wild still suffer from build quality issues. This proves that producing a stainless steel body is indeed challenging, as Elon Musk warned earlier this month.
As the Tesla Cybertruck delivery event gets closer, the electric pickups make waves in social media every time it's spotted on the streets. And, boy, it's been spotted a lot lately, as Tesla doesn't shy away from making it the talk of the town. Many predicted that the Cybertruck would prove a rolling billboard for Tesla, and the reports pouring in appear to support this statement.
Most recently, the outlandish pickup truck surprised everyone with a matte black wrap. The polarizing appearance was even more intriguing because Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, drove the pickup truck. This is not the first time Franz was seen with a Cybertruck. Considering that he drove his children to the Electrified Cars & Coffee meet at the Petersen Automotive Museum, we can safely assume Franz is daily driving the Cybertruck. The one he arrived in at the Petersen Museum was a Release Candidate unit.
Franz loves coffee very much because he was again spotted at an "& coffee" event, this time in Santa Monica. Tesla's chief designer descended from a matte black Cybertruck, causing many jaws to drop. It's unclear whether Franz changed his Cybertruck for a matte black one or wrapped his earlier copy. Whatever the case, the change caused a major stir on social media, as people only want their Cybertrucks to come in matte black now.
For those who looked beyond the posh wrap, the black Cybertruck revealed more details than Tesla wanted. Chiefly, Franz's Cybertruck appeared poorly put together, with misaligned body panels that should not appear on a vehicle close to the start of customer deliveries. On the other hand, this particular Cybertruck example could have been an earlier prototype that was only recently wrapped in matte black. This should excuse the build quality issues, although it's not exactly a reason to celebrate.
Some are now wondering if the Cybertruck was built correctly and if the misalignments occurred during use. After all, the upper control arm on the front suspension looks pretty flimsy. If that's the case, it would paint a bleak picture about the Cybertruck's reliability. A leaked email showed that Musk asked for "sub-10-micron accuracy" in assembling the Cybertruck. That was precisely because "any dimensional variation shows up like a sore thumb" on a body designed with mostly straight edges.
In the video below and the gallery, you can see where the build quality issues are the most obvious. The frunk lid, the bed's powered tonneau cover, and the rear wheel plastic protection are the culprits. Hopefully, Tesla has already fixed these issues for the production vehicles. Otherwise, the first customers will be utterly disappointed, especially as the price of the Cybertruck proves much higher than expected.
Most recently, the outlandish pickup truck surprised everyone with a matte black wrap. The polarizing appearance was even more intriguing because Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, drove the pickup truck. This is not the first time Franz was seen with a Cybertruck. Considering that he drove his children to the Electrified Cars & Coffee meet at the Petersen Automotive Museum, we can safely assume Franz is daily driving the Cybertruck. The one he arrived in at the Petersen Museum was a Release Candidate unit.
Franz loves coffee very much because he was again spotted at an "& coffee" event, this time in Santa Monica. Tesla's chief designer descended from a matte black Cybertruck, causing many jaws to drop. It's unclear whether Franz changed his Cybertruck for a matte black one or wrapped his earlier copy. Whatever the case, the change caused a major stir on social media, as people only want their Cybertrucks to come in matte black now.
For those who looked beyond the posh wrap, the black Cybertruck revealed more details than Tesla wanted. Chiefly, Franz's Cybertruck appeared poorly put together, with misaligned body panels that should not appear on a vehicle close to the start of customer deliveries. On the other hand, this particular Cybertruck example could have been an earlier prototype that was only recently wrapped in matte black. This should excuse the build quality issues, although it's not exactly a reason to celebrate.
Some are now wondering if the Cybertruck was built correctly and if the misalignments occurred during use. After all, the upper control arm on the front suspension looks pretty flimsy. If that's the case, it would paint a bleak picture about the Cybertruck's reliability. A leaked email showed that Musk asked for "sub-10-micron accuracy" in assembling the Cybertruck. That was precisely because "any dimensional variation shows up like a sore thumb" on a body designed with mostly straight edges.
In the video below and the gallery, you can see where the build quality issues are the most obvious. The frunk lid, the bed's powered tonneau cover, and the rear wheel plastic protection are the culprits. Hopefully, Tesla has already fixed these issues for the production vehicles. Otherwise, the first customers will be utterly disappointed, especially as the price of the Cybertruck proves much higher than expected.
Google News