Tesla Cybertruck to Debut With $50,000 Price Tag

The Tesla Cybertruck will be revealed to the world in all its glory at an event at the electric vehicle manufacturer's Austin, Texas, plant. The new Cybertruck is expected to have a price tag beginning at $50,000.

Investors and customers will meet Tesla’s Cybertruck next week at the EV-maker’s gigafactory in Austin, Texas.
Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, CEO Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X: "Cybertrucks are on their way to Tesla stores in North America!"

Cybertrucks are on their way to Tesla stores in North America!https://t.co/deuRQr72DI
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2023

The debut is an important milestone for Musk after its production was delayed several times since being announced in 2019 and was further complicated by supply chain disruptions. Musk has also been pulling double-duty running X, formerly known as Twitter. The platform has come under fire in recent days for allegedly placing corporate ads next to antisemitic content. Musk has vigorously denied those allegations.

Forget the allegations about Twitter/X placing corporate ads next to antisemitic content. Instead, take a look at the Cybertruck itself.

In a word: It's ugly. The Cybertruck looks like a wad of tin foil that got caught in a garbage compactor.

For a lot of the things people use trucks for, it will also be impractical. A truck, an honest working truck, should have a healthy towing capacity; it should perform in all weather conditions with no change in usable power; it should have a range of at least 300 miles. A 3/4- or 1-ton Diesel pickup from Chevrolet, Ford, or Dodge will do these things. Will the Cybertruck? Color me skeptical.

Some years ago, I was working in the LA-area town of Valencia, and since it was a long-term project, I maintained an apartment there. There was a young man living in that apartment building who had a big, shiny 3/4 ton Dodge 4x4 pickup, and when I say shiny, I mean shiny. This truck had clearly never been off the pavement; the paint in the cargo bed was pristine, and he had replaced the differential covers with chrome. There were lights — yes, lights on the undercarriage. This was not a truck that was being used as a truck; this was a plaything for a city kid.

And that's the kind of people who the Tesla Cybertruck will appeal to — city guys looking to impress the ladies, or at least, to impress someone. It will be a status purchase; in some circles, it will no doubt be the new hotness, at least for a while. Meanwhile, the contractors, the ranchers, the outdoorsmen, the people who are hauling heavy trailers or loads of materials or equipment in all sorts of weather conditions, sometimes for long distances, well, they will stick with the big heavy-duty Diesel trucks by Ford, Dodge or Chevrolet.

The one thing I won't quibble with is the price tag. $50,000 for a new truck isn't at all unreasonable as a start price; a new Ford F-350 Super Duty Diesel in bare-bones minimum trim will set you back a minimum of a tad over $46,000. A fully loaded example with all the whistles and bells, and you are looking at very close to six figures. So, of all the reasons I have not to look at a Cybertruck, at least the price isn't one of them.

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