$70,000 + tax, license and registration in Cali? And only 14,000 lbs towing? No thanks.
But they do look good in package 4.
But they do look good in package 4.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
EV cars blowing past gas cars in lower cost-per-mile and maintenance.
- Thread starter PracticalMac
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Jesus Christ. And they said the Pontiac Aztec was ugly. 
This thing looks like a sawed-off DeLorean.
My favorite part of the big intro for this thing was when they tried to demonstrate how tough the window glass was by throwing a large ball bearing at it and...the window shattered. Then they tried to demonstrate it again on another window...and that one shattered too.
This thing looks like a sawed-off DeLorean.My favorite part of the big intro for this thing was when they tried to demonstrate how tough the window glass was by throwing a large ball bearing at it and...the window shattered. Then they tried to demonstrate it again on another window...and that one shattered too.
That’s because they’re actually ballistically rated. Tesla didn’t make clear how far they were firing from or specifically what kind of bullets beyond being 9mm... which is a relatively low armor rating as it is. They also don’t have bullet proof glass or bomb protection that many armored cars have. You also don’t have to tear down the car and rebuild it with custom parts, which obviously costs a ton of money.
Interestingly after 9/11 a lot of luxury car makers started marketing armored cars. A family friend around 2003 bought a CPO factory armored BMW 7-Series only because they got a great deal on it. I suppose the trade off was atrocious gas mileage and the rear windows didn’t roll down (probably premature wear and tear on the suspension and tires too). Kind of a weird piece of history highlighting the ridiculous level of safety concern people had post 9/11. What are the chances terrorists will attack you in your car?
Yes, the point was that the Cyberduck would only offer light protection (but it seems the price is not bad).
I guess another reason to buy those tanks in the US is to smash the other car in the event of a crash.
Last edited:
You know, at least that one has kind of a cool Batman vibe.
Tesla’s truck, on the other hand, looks like it was designed by Jonny Ive. In preschool. While throwing up.
Last edited:
If I get an EV, I'll wait for the mass-market vehicles from a big manufacturer. I do think think that once production capacity at Volkswagen's Puebla, Mexico and Chattanooga, TN plants are converted over, we may actually the ID.3 in the US market along with the vehicles based on the ID Crozz and ID Buzz.
If you’re looking for cost effective ballistic protection buy a used US police car. Many of them have ballistic door panels. The NYPD went with a super inexpensive option of exterior mounted door panels and a piece of fixed ballistic glass on the inside covering half the window.
If the metal is as strong as they claim it is (which again they used a rubber mallet), I think there are some unanswered questions about crash safety and certainly pedestrian safety. Modern safety design promotes crumple zones to absorb the energy of crashes, which might be a problem with a super rigid monocoque construction.
They also need a solution for the taillights which are currently placed only on the tailgate. In the US lights must exist on fixed body panels, so they either need to redesign the rear end or put a second set of lights behind the tailgate. Considering the car doesn’t have turn stalks, it seems like they probably have more work to do. Also, under US law you need physical side mirrors, so they’ll either have to add them or get the law changed. I’m guessing there will be a lot of changes before it’s released, which I’m not convinced will be on the given timeline and the given cost is questionable (I can’t help but think Tesla included gas savings into their pricing, or we’ll never see the $40k base model).
That would be an alternative if you're OK with an old humble car.
Or buy a new Ford Explorer and spend a couple thousand on ballistic doors panels. I don’t think having bullet proof doors is a concern for 99.999% of buyers.
Perhaps this truck’s body composition might be of interest to middle eastern terrorists, to replace their Toyota Hiluxes though.
The lowest level system the company NYPD offers is rated at IIIa, which can handle up to a 9mm full metal jacket, 357 SIG and .44 Magnum bullets at 5 meters. Since it’s actually ballistic rated they test both straight on and at 30 degree angle, not to mention multiple projectiles. If they opted for the optional level III, you get protection against some high powered rifles like 7.62 NATO round.
I can’t wait for the first lawsuit from the first idiot stupid enough to test their gun on their CYBERTRUCK and have it go horribly wrong.
If I didn’t make the point clear, no one will actually be buying this car because of its resistance to bullets. I am really not sure who the target market for this car is considering your average F150 buyer likely will not be interested. Making such a polarizing car seems like a poor decision considering the uphill battle Tesla faces.
The pickup market in the US is a huge market, often underestimated by foreigners and even people living on the US coasts. I was in Wyoming several months ago and expected a lot but couldn’t believe that literally 90%+ of cars in the parking lot were pickups. Ford sold almost 1m F-series tricks last year out of 5.3m pickups and 17.2m total consumer vehicles.
A big problem with the Truck market is an extreme level of brand loyalty, usually passed down generation to generation, though reportedly RAM is starting to absorb buyers from GM and Ford (though GM and Ford owners usually set on not buying Ford or GM vehicles respectively). Maybe Tesla felt they couldn’t really compete with this effectively. I would think however had they made something more conventional they’d at least have a better shop than they currently do.
Tesla clearly read the market research that tuck owners want their truck to be tough, but I think they also want to be practical and reliable. I’m not sure the CYBERTRUCK has quite the specific practicality desired and historically Tesla reliability hasn’t been great. They’re also not easy to work on yourself, another consideration more prevalent to truck owners. An air suspension (with many inches of travel), electric retractable bed cover, numerous electric gizmos can be off putting to buyers who just want a reliable truck. Again, had they gone with something more conventional and less ridiculous like the Rivian or the Bolenger, I think they could have had a decent opportunity.
I think theirs something to be said about radical design language often taking time to be accepted by the public. When the Rivian came out it was considered pretty “out there”, but now looks very tame compared to Tesla. That said, given how extreme Tesla’s looks are, I doubt opinions will change very much in the next couple years.
To me it doesn’t look futuristic, it looks like a cheesy conception of the future from the 70’s/80’s- which actually makes it rather a unoriginal and extremely dated design. It’s like a 1980’s contemporary style house that hasn’t been updated. it’s gaudy. Whatever was cool when it was built now just looks ridiculous and out of style. Generally speaking I think that angular look has not stood the test of time very well, with few cars with that design language being considered desirable by collectors (and often if they are due to other reasons like being associated with a movie).
They already received about 150K Cyberduck orders.
Although it only costs a refundable $100 to place.
The F-150 is the best selling vehicle in the world (over 1M in a year), the vast majority go to the US.
There have been 150k reservations, technically they are not orders yet. Considering the $100 fully refundable reservation fee I wouldn't put a ton of stock in anywhere close to that number being fulfilled. The Model 3 reservations were $2500 and reportedly ~23% were cancelled (granted there were some delay issues that may have influenced that, but $2500 is far greater commitment than $100). It's also important to consider Tesla's production abilities... given their track record it will likely take years to crank out 150k. And after the initial interest it's entirely possible sales will drop off... which seems entirely plausible with this type of sensational vehicle. This sales cliff happened with the VW Beetle, Mini Cooper, Chrysler Crossfire, Hummer, PT Cruiser, etc. The interested parties buy the car, the hype wears off, and then sales are dead.
Gene Munster who is pretty bullish on Tesla though not to an absurd level expects about 50,000 units per year in sales. Considering the millions of pickups sold in the US annually, 50k/yr is niche marketshare relatively speaking... and even 150k/yr is still pretty insignificant. We're talking between 1.6% of the market at the 50k figure.
Last edited:
Yeah 9mm AP = Armor Piercing
A. Civilians can’t buy AP rounds
B. The name is pretty self explanitory
1. The level of AP banning varies by location
2. Criminals don't care
3. M80A1 and similar are not AP by law (at least federally)