Tesla does not really advertise. Not much, anyway. But when it finally does, it goes big. The automaker's 'Go big or go home' moment this week was taking the Cybertruck to New York City and showing it off while it tows a Tesla Model Y. If this does not get people turning heads, then we don't know what will.
Tesla goes big in the Big Apple by advertising both the towing capability of the Cybertruck and the fact that the world's best-selling car is made in America. And, of course, it wears the Tesla badge. That is the exact message written on the glass case that the Model Y sits in. The electric pickup truck is capable of towing an impressive 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms).
Meanwhile, the Model Y has every right to brag. It was indeed the vehicle that sold best worldwide in 2023. No fewer than 1.2 million customers got the crossover delivered last year, which represents an increase of 71 percent over the 771,000 units sold in 2022.
Right now, Tesla is running its so-called Mobile Gallery in New York, displaying the Cybertruck towing a Model Y encased in a glass box lifted up on a trailer at some sightseeing spots across the city.
This is what advertising means for Tesla at the moment. The Lincoln Center, Columbia University, the Guggenheim Museum, Times Square, and the Empire State Building are some of the spots where the duo showed up on Friday, according to the X account of Tesla North America.
On Saturday, the two of them went to 11th Avenue and Javitz Center, leaving Union Square, Washington Square Park, Wall Street Charging Bull, and the World Trade Center for the Sunday itinerary.
Photo: Tesla North America | X
The duo first showed up in this format, with the Tesla Cybertruck towing the Tesla Model Y, last month. Back then, though, the carmaker did not announce any plans to take the two of them to New York to show them off. The account posted photos from various locations all through the weekend. Some of the images reveal that there is quite a convoy with more Cybertrucks accompanying the assembly.
Tesla is trying to counteract the sales drop from the first quarter of 2024
Tesla has been going for bizarre ways of advertising lately. Taking the Cybertruck and the Model Y on a road trip across America does make sense since the automaker's home market is also its biggest, with China keeping up with the United States.
However, sending the electric pickup truck to Germany and China, markets where it has not yet been cleared for registration, might be Tesla focusing in the wrong direction.
However, Tesla has to come up with ways to counteract the first sales drop after the pandemic year, registered in the first quarter of 2024. To turn the tables, Elon Musk's company is offering various incentives across the world. In one of its biggest markets, China, Tesla is offering zero-interest financing for the first three years after purchase on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Visit our Mobile Gallery in NYC—towed by Cybertruck
We’ll be stopping throughout the city between April 5–7.
Full route below
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Friday
Columbus Circle 11:30am
Lincoln Center
Planetarium
Columbia University
Guggenheim
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Radio City Music Hall… pic.twitter.com/Gmk8qogXBB
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