Critics called it a doorstop or a very ugly DeLorean — or something that might be seen in an old vector-graphic video game. But the truck also had its defenders, who seem to chalk up the initial negative comments to the Cybertruck's bold look.
"Really disappointed by my colleagues at so many pubs who are dismissing the Cybertruck because it looks weird," Roadshow Editor-in-Chief Tim Stevens said via Twitter. He added, "Many of these same colleagues spent this entire week lamenting an industry that is churning out samey, half-assed crossover SUVs. I'll take weird over anonymous."
Twitter user David Wu compared it to a stealth fighter: "The F35 of pickup trucks. Don't think my mind has ever been blown like this before."
Tesla says the Cybertruck drives better than most sports cars and is more useful than a normal truck. From a standing start, the truck's maxed-out version can accelerate to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, according to the company. And on paper at least, the pairing of electric motors — known for their high torque output — with a truck would seem to be a slam-dunk concept.
But pickup trucks, like most automobiles, are also sold on image. And both Tesla and Musk have repeatedly played up the new electric truck's ruggedness.
"You want a truck that's really tough? Not fake tough?" Musk asked the crowd Thursday night. He also said Tesla will make the exterior of the Cybertruck from a stainless steel alloy developed by his companies. "We're going to be using the same alloy in the Starship rocket," Musk said, referring to his SpaceX project.
"It is literally bulletproof to a 9 mm handgun, that's how strong the skin is," Musk said.
Then things went off track with the "Tesla armor glass" strength test.
A metal ball was dropped onto a sheet of what Musk described as "regular car glass," leaving a long crack.
To test a sheet of Tesla's glass, the metal ball was taken up to a height of around 10 feet and dropped again. The "armor glass" remained intact. But Musk didn't stop there — he turned the ball over to Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, who had previously whacked the truck's doors with a sledgehammer to show its durability.
"Franz, could you try to break this glass, please?" Musk said.
"You sure?" von Holzhausen asked.
"Yeah."
Without much of a windup, von Holzhausen whirled the ball at Tesla's brand-new truck — leaving a nasty-looking spiderweb of splintered and dented glass.
"Well," Musk said afterward. "Maybe that was a little too hard."
Staring at the ruined window, one hand on his chin, Musk added, "It didn't go through. That's the plus side."
Then von Holzhausen asked if they should try the rear window. Musk agreed, and was soon standing in front of two pock-marked windows for the rest of the carefully stage-managed event.
"Not bad," Musk summed up that portion of the night, adding, "Room for improvement."
The Cybertruck has six seats and a cargo bed (or "vault," as Tesla calls it) that's 6 1/2 feet long. Its tailgate also hides a ramp, for rolling materials or vehicles into the bed. The truck is 231.7 inches (19.3 feet) long, nearly 80 inches wide and 75 inches tall. Tesla lists its maximum range at more than 500 miles.
The truck will be offered in a wide spectrum of driving range and weight capacity, depending on which motor is powering the vehicle. While the basic single-motor truck would have a range of around 250 miles and a tow rating of 7,500 pounds using rear-wheel drive, the three-motor all-wheel-drive version would double that range and be capable of towing 14,000 pounds, Tesla says.
The starting price for the CyberTruck is $39,900. In the most high-powered version, it would cost $69,900. The company is taking preorders now, with a $100 deposit required to reserve a vehicle that Tesla says will hit the market in about two years.