GM's electric pickup gets a fall 2021 on-sale date
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Nov 24, 2019
The charismatic Gonzo impersonator took to the stage last night to show off the latest line from his Tesla electric vehicle company - the Cybertruck - and once people were over the shock of the design, they got to see a classic Musk flourish.
If you're struggling to see the inspiration, Musk confirmed in advance that the vehicle is supposed to remind us slightly of James Bond's Lotus Esprit aquatic supercar.
Created to have the utility of a truck and the performance of a sports auto, Tesla will offer the Cybertruck in three variants: Single motor rear-wheel drive, dual motor four-wheel drive, and triple-motor four-wheel-drive.
That's big news for those who want the United States of America to produce less carbon emissions. Analyst Itay Michaeli says the firm's data suggests Ford (NYSE:F) has more headline risk than General Motors (NYSE:GM) from the buildup to the truck launch and eventual market share loss.
"We threw wrenches, we threw everything - we even literally threw the kitchen sink at the glass and it didn't break", Musk said.
The electric carmaker is trying to take on a market that is now dominated by the likes of Ford and General Motors, both of whom make bestselling pickup trucks.
A grand idea, that's for sure.
That decision did not go exactly as planned, however.
But the armoured glass window cracked like a spider web when hit with a metal ball during a demonstration.
The truck is made of the same alloys used in spacecraft and the windows are made of armored glass. Production is expected to begin around late 2021. It looks like what a TV show production team from the 1980s would come up with if told to build a futuristic-looking vehicle on a budget of a few thousand dollars, a couple of cans of chrome spray paint and some spare cardboard boxes.
The truck was unveiled in Hawthorne, California, where its stainless steel, angular design was greeted with cheers but also bemusement.
Not to be left behind, Ford plans to unveil the Ford Mustang Mach-E this Sunday at the trade event AutoMobility LA. It will be able to go from 0 to 60 in less than 4.5 seconds. Musk claims the Cybertruck will reach 60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds before continuing through the quarter-mile marker in under 11 seconds. The next Cybertruck costs $49,900 and is a dual-motor AWD model, it is an all-wheel drive with a towing capacity of over 10,000 pounds and has over 300 miles of range.
