Is the Cyber Truck a Flop?

[IndyIan]

I would rather drive something that looks like a IH Scout.....like these:

View attachment 1682181

These Are The New Scout Terra Truck And Traveler SUV | Carscoops

Yep, the pickup truck big 3 are pretty lucky Tesla didn't make something like these, instead of the CT...

 

[5030]

People have diverse tastes so no 2 folks like the same thing. Never will be an electric vehicle in my future anyway unless maybe a hybrid.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

The cybertruck has outsold every other EV truck this year and they reached the point of making profit on each vehicle sold. It is expensive and at this point more of an exotic purchase. But it is definitely not a flop. With economy of scale, profit will increase and price/ availability will improve.
The Model Y was $65,000+ when it was released in 2020. I paid $43k for an AWD long range last month. The company also has about $10 billion in debt and over $30 billion in cash and liquid investments. There is no other automaker positioned this well, and the future profit of Tesla will not come from it’s cars. It will be solar, power storage, and autonomous labor.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Last I read was that sales were much less than anticipated, with less than 20,000 sold.

They sold over 28,000 so far.

 

[lostcause]

After reading the you tube review up here in my neck of the woods from Tucker Carlson & the locals here, I have more respect for it than I used to, but I'm still not going to go out and buy one. In this review it seems like it's passing the tests to become a full on half ton replacement, which I'm sure is the target audience. Everyone's still got the concerns on battery life though, particularly in cold weather. Vehicles like this don't have a trickle down path to the kind of people who buy all their vehicles in the $500 to $5000 price range, so I'm kind of curious what the future of personal automobiles will look like. I just hope I'm old enough to live out the rest of my life burning dead dinosaurs.

 

[mikester]

The majority of pickup truck owners never have anything in the bed, never tow, and drive with only one occupant. The Tesla "truck" is made for them and works perfectly for their needs.

You can spot potential Tesla truck buyers in their 4x4 quad cab short box trucks with rusty ball hitches they never remove.

Don't forget, Tesla is a virtual software company, not a car/truck manufacturer.

 

[5030]

I refer to the 4 door really short bed wannabe pickup trucks as 'soccer mom trucks'. Bought by suburbanites to impress the neighbors and elevate social status, real or imagined. For me, totally useless. Expensive too.

 

[Oaktree]

You can spot potential Tesla truck buyers in their 4x4 quad cab short box trucks with rusty ball hitches they never remove.

Nah. At least those trucks have some practicality, most sedans have gotten so you have to contort yourself to even get in or out, and have little useful cargo space. No wonder people are moving towards trucks and/or vehicles marketed as SUVs.
IMHO the CT buyers are the same ones who bought Hummers (or that equally useless wannabe that toyota made for a few years in the 00s). It's "look at me" vehicle.

I refer to the 4 door really short bed wannabe pickup trucks as 'soccer mom trucks'. Bought by suburbanites to impress the neighbors and elevate social status, real or imagined. For me, totally useless. Expensive too.

Not everyone needs or even wants a 1 ton dually pickup with an 8' bed. Your comments could easily extend to any sort of sports car too.
Just because a vehicle doesn't appeal to you personally doesn't make it useless.

 

[JeepHead]

I drive a regular cab 3/4 4x4 Chevy with 8' bed. I own several trailers to haul things in and rarely put anything in the bed that would require an 8' bed. I didn't have a need for a quad cab this time around. My last F250 was a quad cab long bed 4x4 and I hated trying to park that thing.

 

[EddieWalker]

I remember back in the 90's when Dodge was struggling with their truck sales. They came up with a new design for the front end that looked more like a semi truck that became very popular. People bought that truck because of how pretty it was, even though the drivetrain was horrible. A buddy of mine was one of those guys. We drove that truck to Montana for an elk hunt, and it never stopped trying to find the right gear for transmission. It was either over revving, or underpowered. Worse truck I ever drove in my life, and it was brand new.

I think the same is true with the Tesla. People will buy it for it's looks. Not that it's pretty like Dodge was, but because it's unique, and they will get attention. I know that when I see one, I look at it more then any other truck. I never saw one before this year, and now I see them fairly often. Especially when I'm driving on Interstate 20, which connects Dallas with Shreveport.

The thing that I like about Tesla is they are pushing technology to a new level. I'm not going to buy one, but I like it that other people will. The more that buy them, the more incentive there will be to improve them.

Who knows what will happen next? The biggest issue is government involvement. Let the private sector fail or succeed on their own, and keep the government out of the process!!!