Tesla delivers first Cybertrucks four years after debut

Elon Musk says he wants to 'temper expectations' about production

People take pictures of the newly unveiled Cybertruck in 2019. The vehicle's release to the market in 2021 was delayed by at least two years. AFP

The Cybertruck was originally priced at $39,900 in 2019 - but inflationary prices have pushed other Tesla vehicles up in cost. AFP

Mr Musk stands in front of Cybertruck, after a metal ball was thrown at the windows to show how tough they are. Tesla / Reuters

Mr Musk discusses vehicle dimensions in front of the Cybertruck. AFP

The Tesla Cybertruck is unveiled at Tesla's design studio. AP

Tesla on Thursday delivered its first Cybertrucks, four years after the futuristic vehicles first made their debut.

A delivery event was live-streamed from Tesla's gigafactory in Austin, Texas, where the company's chief executive Musk drove the vehicle on a stage in darkness before hopping into the bed to talk about it.

“It's the most unique thing on the road,” he said. “Finally the future will look like the future.”

The Cybertruck is aimed at the most profitable part of the US car market that is now controlled mainly by Ford, General Motors and Ram's Stellantis.

When the vehicle was first unveiled, customers reserved their Cybertrucks with a $100 deposit. Mr Musk said in a conference call last month that more than one million people have reserved the vehicle.

In 2019, Mr Musk said the Cybertruck would cost $39,990, but on Thursday Tesla said the vehicle would start at $60,990.

During the conference call, Mr Musk also said he wants to “temper expectations” on the vehicle's production. The company expects to begin producing 250,000 Cybertrucks “sometime in 2025".

The Cybertruck seats six passengers and features a touchscreen navigation centre. It has 43cm of ground clearance to drive off road and can go from 0kph to almost 100kph in 2.6 seconds.

It has four-wheel steering, with steering effort that changes based on the vehicle's speed. It can carry more than one tonne in its bed and tow more than 5,000kg, Mr Musk told the crowd.

With a “nearly impenetrable exoskeleton” made of stainless steel alloy, the Cybertruck is a significant departure from the sleek Model X and Model S Tesla currently produces.

The body panels have to be angular because they cannot be stamped by a conventional press, Mr Musk explained at the event. Stainless steel, he said, has no corrosion and does not need paint, but can still be mass produced.

Mr Musk said Tesla could “build a normal-looking truck” if people did not like the current design, Reuters reported.

He added that it would take 12 to 18 months for the vehicle to become a “significant positive cash flow contributor”.

It has been beset by delays since it first made its debut in 2019, when Mr Musk accidentally shattered the car window during a demonstration. It has faced engineering challenges and supply chain disruptions.

“Often, people do not understand what is truly hard. That's why I say prototypes are easy. Production is hard. People think it's the idea or you make a prototype,” Mr Musk said during the conference call.