After a recent price hike of the Cybertruck, it seems there are little to no incentives to purchase Tesla’s worst car.
Tesla quietly increased the price of the Cybertruck, the company’s latest-released model, canceling options to pre-order a cheaper version for 2025. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, hasn’t released any comment on the matter at the moment of writing.
The Cybertruck now starts at $100,000, up from the previous starting price of $80,000. On the site, a cheaper pre-order option for delivery in 2025 was displayed until a few days ago. With this option, customers could pre-order the Cybertruck for $61,000.
In short, the only alternatives now offered to customers are a starting Cybertruck at $100,000 and the Cyberbeast at $120,000.
When he announced the Cybertruck in 2019, Elon Musk promised it would be the world’s most competitive electric truck with a starting price of $40,000. That would have been roughly $20,000 cheaper than its closest competitor, the Ford F-150 Lighting.
Now, the F-150 is far cheaper than the Cybertruck with a starting price of $63,000. With all optionals combined, the most expensive F-150 version costs $90,685, still cheaper than the cheapest Cybertruck.
The Cybertruck is one of the rarest cars on the mainstream market. It’s sold exclusively in the United States as it lacks regulatory compliance for foreign markets and production has been relatively slow so far.
The Cybertruck disaster
The price increase is just the latest in several disappointing developments in Tesla’s Cybertruck.
As is often the case, Elon Musk overpromised and underdelivered the Cybertruck. At the 2019 event, Musk said the truck would reach 500 miles of range and start at $40,000. Instead, the Cybertruck has a claimed range of 340 miles and a starting price of $100,000.
Moreover, the delivery date was constantly pushed forward, leading to the cancelation of several pre-orders and customers’ disillusionment. Once released, the Cybertruck was ridden with technical problems, forcing four recalls so far.
Production of the Cybertruck turned out far more difficult than predicted. At the moment, Tesla can manage the production of roughly 75,000 Cybertrucks per year. At the current pace, Tesla will fulfill all 2 million pre-orders in more than 26 years.
Musk promised the company would achieve a 250,000 yearly production. Even at that rate, however, it would take 8 years to finish all the pre-orders, meaning the Cybertruck will become fully available at least in 2032.
Elon Musk himself admitted last year that Tesla “dug its own grave with the Cybertruck”.
Although some estimates say the Cybertruck is the best-selling electric pick-up, it’s hard to believe it will keep its popularity until 2032. Ford, General Motors, and other American carmakers are stepping up their game, releasing new electric models every year.
