Elon Musk shows off production Cybertruck in Texas

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a production version of the company’s Cybertruck for a spin on Wednesday after the long-awaited truck’s production has been delayed for years.

Musk took to X, the social media platform he owns that was formerly known as Twitter, to show off a picture of the Cybertruck, which was built at the company’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. Tesla announced on July 15 that its first Cybertruck rolled off the factory’s assembly lines.

Tesla and Musk first announced their plans for the futuristic-looking electric pickup truck in 2019 at an event that went viral when the vehicle’s designer cracked the truck’s purportedly unbreakable “armor glass” windows during a demonstration.

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Since its unveiling, production of the Cybertruck has been delayed on several occasions. Last year, Musk cited supply chain shortages affecting the sourcing of components as a factor in pushing back Cybertruck production to 2023.

During a Tesla shareholder meeting in May of this year, Musk said the company is aiming to produce roughly 250,000 Cybertrucks annually, depending on demand.

When the Cybertruck was first announced in 2019, Tesla allowed would-be buyers to pay $100 to reserve a future Cybertruck which, at the time, had a projected initial price of less than $40,000. 

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Pricing details for the Cybertruck aren’t yet available, and Tesla hasn’t announced specific details about its specifications or an official date for when initial deliveries to dealers will begin. 

Over the last year, Tesla has regularly changed the price points for its various vehicles with aggressive discounts intended to meet consumer demand in an environment where higher interest rates make it harder for buyers to finance new car purchases, so it is possible the company will pursue similar flexibility with the Cybertruck.

Tesla’s Cybertruck will give the company an EV offering in the pickup segment – one of the most profitable in the U.S. market – along with a direct competitor to the EV pickups launched by Ford and Rivian in small quantities.