Musk: Whether the Cybertruck is a “flop” or not doesn’t matter

Elon Musk says he doesn’t care if the tradition-breaking Cybertruckelectric ute is a flop, but says he loves it so much it doesn’t worry him.

And it probably doesn’t matter either way, we think.

The Cybertruck – unveiled in late 2019 to the sounds of great fanfare and one smashed passenger window – has long been a pet project of the Tesla CEO.

Tesla is planning to start Cybertruck production in late 2021, starting with dual-motor and tri-motor versions that are priced at $US49,990 and $US69,990 respectively. The cheaper $US39,900 rear-motor will be made in late 2022. There is no pricing yet for Australia, although it can be pre-ordered.

The Cybertruck is the result of Musk’s desire to bring an all-electric utility vehicle to market that didn’t look like, well, just another utility vehicle. Think Ford’s F-150 and GM’s Hummer, both of which are being rebirthed in electric form.

Instead, Musk gave his design team a simple brief – make it cyberpunk, referring to the sci-fi genre which saw Bladerunners and Robocop see the light of day.

And they followed it to a tee, creating a polygon on wheels powered by a battery with armoured glass and cold-rolled steel exoskeleton.

There was a glitch with the armoured glass when head designer Franz von Holzhausen tried to prove it was unbreakable then actually cracked it, but that made the launch all the more memorable.

But why would Musk think the Cybertruck will be a flop? According to Electrek, there are more than 1 million (refundable $A150, or $US100) pre-orders. And, Tesla is well underway building a factory in Texas at which to make it.

There is at least a small chance, he says. In a response on Twitter to tweet about the possibility of the Cybertruck being the company’s first flop, he said, “To be frank, there is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else.

“I don’t care. I love it so much even if others don’t. Other trucks look like copies of the same thing, but Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future.”

Flop or not, the Cybertruck has all the hallmarks of a vehicle that will become a legend in its own lifetime. Think the DeLorean DMC-12 of Back to the Future fame, or the V8 Interceptor that roamed dystopian roads in Mad Max.

It’s only a matter of time before Ridley Scott casts it front and centre in his next apocalyptic sci-fi.

But will it look the same as the prototype at its 2019 unveiling? While some design tweaks have been hinted at by Musk previously, in more recent comments he has said it will be true to form.

Musk confirmed more details about the Cybertruck following his latest comments about the electric ute (also known as a pickup in the US) on Friday morning, Australia time.

Reiterating comments in early July that the Cybertruck will be extremely close to the original design, Musk said, “In end, we kept production design almost exactly same as show car.

“Just some small tweaks here & there to make it slightly better. No door handles. Car recognizes you & opens door. Having all four wheels steer is amazing for nimble handling & tight turns!”