Sam Krahn 
With the arrival of the GMC Hummer EV, General Motors have stolen the spotlight of the emerging EV pickup segment from the Tesla Cybertruck. Part of its initial success was down to the Cybertruck’s polarizing, unconventional wedge shaped design that critics laughed at, but rabid fans loved. But according to Motor Trend, that design is currently being modified for the final production truck.
Musk said on a call with investors that he’s been working with Tesla’s head designer Franz von Holzhausen to tweak and improve the Cybertruck’s styling. He said they have many small improvements that should make the final product “better than what we showed.”
At the end of the day, the original Tesla Cybertruck we saw almost a year ago was a concept, and anybody who wasn’t drunk on the kool-aid could figure this out. Many of the bold proportions won’t be regulation friendly, and may even put a limit on the truck’s functionality. We’d expect many details to be refined to make sure the vehicle is actually able to be sold. Still, don’t expect any drastic changes, as Musk made no hints at a massive design overhaul. The Cybertruck will still be the Cybertruck, but maybe slightly less Cyber.
Musk also said deliveries are still on track for late 2021, but it all hinges on the completion of the Texas Gigafactory. It’s a massive complex, set to build the Cybertruck and Model Y crossover. Recent reports also suggest Tesla is considering building their own batteries there. Tesla has had a rocky past with delivering products on time, but the Model Y was actually delivered ahead of schedule.
We’ll have to wait and see if Tesla can pull off the Cybertruck launch on time, but it really depends on the Gigafactory more than anything else. Musk said he anticipates the bulk of orders beginning in 2022, but some early vehicles could get out of the factory late next year. Currently, the Tesla Cybertruck has been hyped to start production as early as May 2021, but these models won’t be sold to the public. Instead, Tesla employees will acquire these vehicles first.
This leaves the Cybertruck with a lot of uncertainty. We don’t yet know what it will officially look like inside or out, and we aren’t entirely sure when it will go into production. But if we know anything about Tesla, its customers won’t really care.
