Tesla Cybertruck “is going to be better than what we showed” says Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said his company’s incoming Cybertruck will feature a “lot of small improvements” over the prototype version which famously stole headlines at its reveal almost a year ago.

After announcing Tesla’s Q3 2020 financial results (showing this was the fifth consecutive quarter where the company turned a profit), Motor Trend said Musk revealed to journalists via conference call that the Cybertruck design isn’t yet complete.

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For those not enamoured by the Cybertruck’s brutal wedge shaped design, or those questioning how it could possibly pass design rules to be registered on the road, this news won’t come as a shock.

“I think it’s going to be better than what we showed,” Musk is reported to have said, explaining he and Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen had recently been tweaking the design.

Musk has in the past emphasised his disappointment when vehicles in showrooms don’t live up to exciting pre-production prototypes, so we can expect the Cybertruck’s edginess and bare stainless steel finish to be retained when the finished article is revealed.

In April Musk responded to a Twitter question asking about changes from the Cybertruck prototype to its current development. He suggested its size had been reduced by around 3 percent, the centre line was more level and it had a lower window sill height. He later walked back from those comments before later (again) casting doubt on whether the size would change.

He also suggested Tesla was working on “increasing (the Cybertruck’s) dynamic air suspension travel for better off-roading,” as it “needs to kick butt in Baja.” A Cybertruck desert dueller? Don’t bet against it.

As for when customers can expect first deliveries of the Cybertruck – whatever it may look like in finished, street-legal form – Musk said: “It’s difficult to predict. I would say there’s probably a lot of deliveries in 2022 and some deliveries towards the end of next year if things go well.”

Pre-orders for the Cybertruck had reportedly reached 700,000 by July 2020, and it will be built at a new Tesla Gigafactory in Texas.

While Tesla Australia has been taking deposits on the Cybertruck it’s still unclear if it will come here. In August Musk said the Cybertruck have been developed predominantly for North America and this it would unlikely meet the European regulations Australia is so closely aligned with.

As reported in our GMC Hummer vs Cybertruck on-paper comparison, the Tesla truck in (estimated) 600kW tri-motor all-wheel-drive guise promises a 0-100km/h time of under three seconds, an optimistic range of over 800km and tow rating above 6000kg.

A single motor rear-drive version will be the entry-level price-leader, retailing for $US39,000 ($55,000). You can pre-order one from Tesla’s Australian website for a fully refundable $150, but no local pricing or delivery dates have been announced.