The long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck won’t begin mass production in 2023 as promised. We’ve seen reports of recent progress on the much-delayed truck. But Tesla
TSLA,
+0.91%
CEO Elon Musk told investors recently that a handful of Cybertrucks could roll off production lines this summer, but mass production won’t start until 2024. Tesla doesn’t answer journalists’ questions, so Musk’s quarterly investor calls are often the best way we have to learn about Tesla’s plans. This announcement came during Musk’s fourth-quarter investor discussion.
Also see: Elon Musk shows in ‘funding secured’ trial that he does not live in the real worldWhat is the Tesla Cybertruck? The Tesla Cybertruck is a long-promised electric pickup truck that doesn’t resemble any truck on the market or any truck that has ever been produced. It looks like something from a 1980s science fiction artist’s depiction of the future. A squat pentagon of brutalist lines and bare, unpainted sheet metal, it takes its inspiration from the movie “Blade Runner,” Musk has said. Tesla has promised impressive truck performance, including up to 14,000 pounds of towing capacity. Tesla plans to sell the truck in one-, two-, and three-motor versions, the last of which could get from 0-60 mph in under 3 seconds.
Workers at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, were recently seen installing huge new casting machines, which Musk confirmed were intended for Cybertruck production.
Tesla
Musk initially promised a starting price under $40,000, but after several years of inflatio …