Cybertruck

[ABear]

4 hours ago, 8E45E said:

Its design is rather timeless.   

 

It will look right at home parked in front of the Great Pyramids of Egypt.   It will also be polarizing and striking 40 years from now, unless there are copycats by then.

 

The VW Beetle and Citroen 2CV were 'minimalist' design vehicles built for practicality, and both remained in production for a good four decades.

 

Cyber trucks design isn't "timeless", any third grader with a crayon has more imagination than the exorbitantly over paid Tesla "designers" have.

 

 Polarizing?

 

Yes, that is what Tesla needs to get attention by potential buyers with deep, deep pockets and investors that like to gamble and bet with Tesla's stock.

 

Striking?

 

No, while they do stick out like a sore thumb now, eventually the reality of lower than expected sales drop happen after the few that have crazy money they don't know what to do with,  buy them and the rest of the world that needs practical REAL trucks don't buy a Tesla will slap Tesla in the face..

 

Comparing Beetles and Citroen 2CVs to current crop of EVs (cars and trucks) are "apples to oranges" comparisons. Two completely different market strategies that will never ever meet.

 

Beetles and Citroen 2CVs worn born out of the need for extremely low cost no frills small transportation.

 

Current crop of EVs (cars and trucks) are squarely pointed to and marketed to extremely high end luxury vehicle market..

 

Why?

 

Simple, there is much more profit per vehicle in the luxury high end auto market than if one were to build a small low powered basic means of personal transportation.

 

There is no need for the average vehicle owner to have the equivalent to 500 HP/1000 lb TQ that does 0-60MPH in 3 seconds or less. There is no need for fancy gigantic touch screens the size of a baseball park jumbotron in a vehicle. There is no need for self driving features (which are a safety hazard) and many other fancy bells and whistles.

 

Instead, build a stripped down vehicle with all the basics you really need, under 250 HP equivalent, sprinkle in a few common items like A/C, Am/FM radio with basic hands free BT, power windows and locks and heck how about a simple physical key entry/start.. And most of all, the vehicle should easily get 400 miles worth of range on a single charge.. That CAN be done and sell for around $20K which would put EVs within the grasp of the majority of low income earners wages.

 

As of right now, most low income earners have to settle for 15yr old ratted out rust buckets with 200,000 + miles and those start at $6K average price now days.

[8E45E]

1 hour ago, ABear said:

Cyber trucks design isn't "timeless", any third grader with a crayon has more imagination than the exorbitantly over paid Tesla "designers" have.

 

 Polarizing?

 

Yes, that is what Tesla needs to get attention by potential buyers with deep, deep pockets and investors that like to gamble and bet with Tesla's stock.

 

Striking?

 

No, while they do stick out like a sore thumb now, eventually the reality of lower than expected sales drop happen after the few that have crazy money they don't know what to do with,  buy them and the rest of the world that needs practical REAL trucks don't buy a Tesla will slap Tesla in the face..

 

Comparing Beetles and Citroen 2CVs to current crop of EVs (cars and trucks) are "apples to oranges" comparisons. Two completely different market strategies that will never ever meet.

 

Beetles and Citroen 2CVs worn born out of the need for extremely low cost no frills small transportation.

 

There is no need for the average vehicle owner to have the equivalent to 500 HP/1000 lb TQ that does 0-60MPH in 3 seconds or less. There is no need for fancy gigantic touch screens the size of a baseball park jumbotron in a vehicle. There is no need for self driving features (which are a safety hazard) and many other fancy bells and whistles.

 

Instead, build a stripped down vehicle with all the basics you really need, under 250 HP equivalent, sprinkle in a few common items like A/C, Am/FM radio with basic hands free BT, power windows and locks and heck how about a simple physical key entry/start.. And most of all, the vehicle should easily get 400 miles worth of range on a single charge.. That CAN be done and sell for around $20K which would put EVs within the grasp of the majority of low income earners wages.

 

As of right now, most low income earners have to settle for 15yr old ratted out rust buckets with 200,000 + miles and those start at $6K average price now days.

Minimalist design usually stands the test of time.

 

We have already seen how the Japanese in the 1960's, '70's & '80's made consumer electronics affordable for the masses, including the pocket transistor radio/cassette recorder, VCR's, and digital cameras, just to name three.  Prior to that, VCR's, for example, were only used by institutions for educational purposes, etc.   It took the Japanese to make them an affordable household product, including low income earners.  Maybe they will ultimately do the same with electric cars??

 

One will let the free-enterprise market decide if its polarizing looks will be a selling feature.  If that's what it takes to earn its manufacturer a profit, more power to them!!  No one stops you from purchasing shares in Tesla.

 

Craig

[TerryB]

Tesla does not have overpaid designers, in fact most can make more dollars somewhere else. The designers are mostly younger and do it for the enjoyment of creating something different.  The Cybertruck and everything else Tesla makes is micromanaged by Elon’s personal choices for the design.  His input and likes and dislikes determine what happens in the company. Others try to guide him on what may be a better choice but in the end it’s his call.  That alone makes for a stressful work environment for many of his top managers and salaried employees. More than once Elon has admitted his choices in the design and build of the Cybertruck is what delayed the production so long and added to the extra cost.

 

Every publicly traded company has an obligation to deliver a profit for its investors.  Most every company therefore has premium brands or products that allow them to maximize profits in their marketplace.  The cash cows today are pickups and premium luxury cars.  Does Porsche or Mercedes make a car for low income drivers?  Of course not!  No one does as the fixed overhead to cover wages taxes, new designs and the equipment to make something requires a certain amount of return just to break even.  My father never earned enough in his entire lifetime to buy anything else but a well used car.  That was the reality of life for him.  I was able to go to school on my own dime and get a good education and a good salary in the process and then help him own a better car for a few years before cancer took him.  Life is not fair and somehow blaming companies like Tesla or any for profit company for making a profit makes no sense.  No profit=no company = no jobs.  Making low cost anything requires paying your employees pennies per hour.  My employer of 34 years opened factories in Mexico an China and closed its US locations to try and make profits like the stock holders expected.  I had the “pleasure” of going to those places to set up the manufacturing and transfer my knowledge of how it works to people in these countries knowing full well the day would come when I was now too expensive to work for them. After 34 years of service it came.  Thats how it goes.

 

When Tesla or GM or Ford wants to make a low priced car for the poor masses it will be made somewhere outside the US where labor is cheap or maybe when everything is made by robots with AI controlling them.  We will have to wait and see.

 

[ABear]

2 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

Minimalist design usually stands the test of time.

Not always, take a good look at some of the minimalist EVs pictures that were posted right in this thread..

 

One should say that very few minimalists designs really stand the test of time as a lot of the times they were often way to different, missed the market segment and no one wanted them, unpractical.

 

Even the great modern Architect Frank Lloyd Wright designs while very different, polarizing and recognizable often were not practical, had issues and even a lot of his buildings he designed were torn down..

[8E45E]

3 minutes ago, ABear said:

Not always, take a good look at some of the minimalist EVs pictures that were posted right in this thread..

 

One should say that very few minimalists designs really stand the test of time as a lot of the times they were often way to different, missed the market segment and no one wanted them, unpractical.

 

Even the great modern Architect Frank Lloyd Wright designs while very different, polarizing and recognizable often were not practical, had issues and even a lot of his buildings he designed were torn down..

The Cybertruck's sales figures are currently (no pun intended) higher than, Hummer and Rivian, therefore, Tesla has found itself a market for it.  Time will tell how long these sales figures can remain.   

 

Chrysler failed miserably with the radical Airflow in the 1930's when people had no money, so they are going to make another attempt with an electric SUV with the same name next year.  

 

Craig

[ABear]

2 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

The Cybertruck's sales figures are currently (no pun intended) higher than, Hummer and Rivian, therefore, Tesla has found itself a market for it.  Time will tell how long these sales figures can remain.   

Temporary at best, it isn't really a "truck", it is a sales gimmick. Oh sure it has a "bed" but that bed isn't going to be of much use for say contractors as a replacement for their heavy work trucks. No, instead they will have to tug along a work trailer because there is no way one could remove the bed and place a work bed on the vehicle..

 

Cyber truck is marketed to be a high end "boulevard queen", not so much as a good replacement for a work truck..

 

Someone WILL eventually have to come up with actual practical 3/4 ton and higher EV trucks as those ARE what makes most all business and business substructures we depend on for every day stuff like keeping your electricity on, keeping your Internet on, keeping your homes and businesses comfortable..

 

Practical is what is needed, not cartoonish trash cans..

[TerryB]

Ford and Rivian both have more conventional looking EV commercial vehicles available today. Rivian makes delivery trucks for Amazon too, they are very common in CA.  The Cybertruck is its own outlandish non conventional design. It did what Elon wanted, it makes for a what’s that moment for those who see one for the first time.  Standing the test of time takes……time.

[Barney Eaton]

To get an idea of the size of the Austin TX Gigafactory look on Utube.   One place it says it is larger than the Pentagon. 

There is also a Utube video of a inside tour,  giving you a look at the equipment etc used to build the truck. 

They seem to be serious about building electric vehicles. 

[rocketraider]

One passed me going into town last night. When I saw it in the mirrors it was a bright emerald green. As it passed it became like a candy orange and then purple. DK if it was painted, wrapped or what to get that color effect. Reminded me of that chameleon paint from back in the 90s.

 

But it was still ugly.

 

"and so on and so on, and scooby-dooby-doo..."

[Bhigdog]

I actually saw one today. It was parked and i was hauling my camper trailer and couldn,t easily turn around for a closer look.

I got to tell y,all it was stunning. My wife saw it first and exclaimed "what,s that?". Then said she liked it.

Whether it was stunning good or bad is besides the point.

Whether the very set in their ways guys here like it or not is besides the point.

The point is that it is stunning and generating BUZZ.

Never underestimate Mr. Musk.....bob

[charlespetty]

Stunning bad in my opinion.  

[Andy J]

Saw my first one of these today.It's different,no doubt.As they say,"One man's trash is another man's treasure." I like curves,so it's not for me. If someone ran into the side of it,the panel hit would have to be replaced because I don't think it could be straightened out very well. Where I live getting hit is highly likely. I'm not sold on EVs just yet.and probably never will be. If you like it and want one,knock yourself out. It just ain't for me.

[rocketraider]

It's marketed as a truck. In all the pictures I've seen of it, I haven't seen one that shows either a recognizable pickup bed or how to load it.

 

A conventional four-door crew cab with a 4-1/2 foot bed is useless enough. What can Cybertruck carry, and how?

[Bhigdog]

7 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

It's marketed as a truck. In all the pictures I've seen of it, I haven't seen one that shows either a recognizable pickup bed or how to load it.

 

A conventional four-door crew cab with a 4-1/2 foot bed is useless enough. What can Cybertruck carry, and how?

A better question might be what the guys buying $80+ IC pu trucks are actually hauling. The occasional bag of grass seed? A couple of bags from Whole  Foods?  

It,s stunning, it,s expensive, it,s status and your neighbor doesn,t have one........yet.

Never underestimate Mr. EM.....bob

[Larry Schramm]

22 hours ago, Bhigdog said:

A better question might be what the guys buying $80+ IC pu trucks are actually hauling. The occasional bag of grass seed? A couple of bags from Whole  Foods?  

It,s stunning, it,s expensive, it,s status and your neighbor doesn,t have one........yet.

Never underestimate Mr. EM.....bob

 

An enclosed car trailer with a car/truck in the trailer up and down the mountains not going maybe 45mph at 4,500+ rpm on the engine.  And that is up the hill.  Going down the other side it is comforting to know that a larger truck has larger brakes, etc..

Edited July 9 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[alsancle]

 

[TAKerry]

I have seen 2 on the road within the last week.  IF I had the money I would probably buy one. In my area they are just hitting the streets and there is the wow factor of seeing something totally new on the road. But once they become a bit more common place I dont think they will have that same effect. I remember seeing my first tesla car on the road, or even the first new mid engine vette.  But now I pass dozens of teslas each day and cannot count how many vettes I have seen. They are just another car at this point. Will the design of these stand the test of time, I doubt it but no one knows at this point. 

[CarNucopia]

The best analogy I’ve heard is the Cybertruck is like the Michael Jackson Thriller red leather jacket.  You looked cool in it when the video was released, but if you wore it 6 months later, you were a total dork.

 

 

 

Edited August 9 by CarNucopia (see edit history)

[Andy J]

Speaking of the Cybertruck,I was eating at the Cracker Barrel in Meridian,MS today and saw car hauling rig with seven Cybertrucks on it headed east on I-20/59. Quite a strange sight indeed.

[TAKerry]

On 7/13/2024 at 10:08 PM, Andy J said:

Speaking of the Cybertruck,I was eating at the Cracker Barrel in Meridian,MS today and saw car hauling rig with seven Cybertrucks on it headed east on I-20/59. Quite a strange sight indeed.

I saw one of those car carriers a few weeks ago, followed the next day by seeing one driving down the road. Those were the first I have seen 'in the wild'. I have since seen maybe 2 more.

[JACK M]

There are a couple on Facebook Market place already.

(1) Marketplace - 2024 Cybertruck | Facebook

[Crusty Trucker]

Fixing a totaled Tesla Cybertruck isn't worth it

 

The person attempting the repairs outlines all the issues he’s run into while attempting to save the ruined truck, a mission he describes as a “bad idea.”

 

https://jalopnik.com/repairing-a-totalled-cybertruck-is-much-more-trouble-th-1851602057

[Reynard]

 

Built Tough? $120,000+ Tesla Cybertruck Frame Snaps

 

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/built-tough-120000-tesla-cybertruck-frame-snaps-while-pulling-a-ford-f-150-237948.html#

[TAKerry]

Saw one on 295 outside of Cherry Hill NJ the other night. Cruising along just fine.  

I dont take any stock in youtube, especially the idiots that purposely destroy stuff. 

[RetroPetro]

[RetroPetro]

[JohnS25]

Now that’s the best looking one I have seen yet 😎

where’s the surfboard 🏄 

 

I still don’t want one tho 

[Buzz68]

Any questions

[Crusty Trucker]

Tesla’s latest Cybertruck deliveries have left some customers surprised and frustrated as their brand-new vehicles arrive covered in mud and filled with debris. The condition of these trucks, which cost close to $100,000, has led to a wave of complaints about the carmaker’s quality control.

 

https://www.econotimes.com/Cybertruck-Buyers-Shocked-as-Tesla-Delivers-Brand-New-Vehicles-Covered-in-Mud-and-Debris-1684750

 

 

 

 

[TerryB]

I’ll take the dirty vehicle over this any day

 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford has recalled 85,238 of its 2020-2022 Ford Explorer SUVs due to an engine failure risk. The affected vehicles are equipped with Ford's police interceptor utility package.2

[8E45E]

On 7/11/2024 at 9:15 AM, CarNucopia said:

The best analogy I’ve heard is the Cybertruck is like the Michael Jackson Thriller red leather jacket.  You looked cool in it when the video was released, but if you wore it 6 months later, you were a total dork.

VW used that analogy in the 1950's and 1960's in their advertising comparing the Beetle's 'timeless' shape used for several years with American cars that changed design each year.

 

Craig

[Matt Harwood]

I have been referring to the Cybertruck as the "Wankpanzer."

[TerryB]

If the Cybertruck doesn’t do it for you my local Ford dealer has this Shelby pickup for just $154,995.  Shelby pickup, really?

[Jim Bollman]

Finally saw my first Cyber truck in the wild when I was at our AACA regions monthly breakfast last Wednesday.  It was parked at the restaurant and left about the time we did.  It really caught peoples attention in the parking lot, I could see it out the window from where we were sitting.  They are sure bulky looking.

[JACK M]

On 8/26/2024 at 10:19 AM, TerryB said:

If the Cybertruck doesn’t do it for you my local Ford dealer has this Shelby pickup for just $154,995.  Shelby pickup, really?

Seems like there was a Shelby Dakota some years ago. 1989 maybe?

[TerryB]

Dodge Shelby pickup.  I think it was a quite a few $$$ less.  This Ford is a diesel so a Shelby anything without a gas engine seems unusual.

[Tom C]

There is just nothing about it that I find appealing.

The same way I feel about a lot of progress in general. I’ll stay old school. I find it a better life.

So, you may ask what I’m doing on here.

This is as technological advanced as I want to get.

[RetroPetro]

[rocketraider]

I think I like 50s GM Dagmars better...

[JACK M]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1511500959250483