# Tesla Cybertruck is here **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 6, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702 "2023-09-06T20:15:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/41 "2023-09-07T21:03:37Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > As for the Cybertruck, my guess is it’ll flop. It was never going to be a _top_ seller–it’s too unusual for that–but it’ll probably easily outsell its current competition. The F-150 Lightning is only selling about 5,000 units a quarter, and Rivian only about 15,000 units. I’m not sure I’d call those _flops_, but they definitely aren’t massive sellers. I think it would be easy to sell 50k Cybertrucks a quarter. Small compared to Model 3/Y sales, but decent compared to their current competition. Rivian has a good product but it’s expensive and doesn’t have a high production rate. The F-150 Lightning is in a similar position but with the added downside of going through dealerships. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/42 "2023-09-07T21:20:16Z")
I believe Ford sells hundreds of thousands of F-150 trucks every year, so if they can convert even a fraction of the ICE sales over to the EV version, that will be a huge number. (Though I think a lot of the F-150 sales are for use as a platform, for utility trucks, tow trucks and other such vehicles. I don’t know if the Lightning will work for that.) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/43 "2023-09-07T21:24:36Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I still like it. It’s a head-turner, which is not easy these days. It’s exactly that distinction they made on Top Gear between ugly and cool; this is an ugly, cool truck. The top image sort of looks ugly and cool. The bottom image just looks ugly and cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/44 "2023-09-07T21:26:14Z")
I don’t see how you could decide on that ratio (groundbreaking vs. unaesthetic) from just a few pictures at a few angles. Certainly, you likely really like it or you really don’t, but I can’t tell which… yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/45 "2023-09-07T21:28:38Z")
Again, I’ve seen articles in which people who know about how autos are manufactured said that actually making the Cybertruck is going to be difficult, if not impossible. Partly because of all of the straight panels and partly because of the stainless steel panels. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/46 "2023-09-07T21:31:27Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > The bottom image just looks ugly and cheap. It’s just a bad picture, though. The shape of the vehicle hasn’t changed. It’s just unflattering at that angle without the stage lighting. Rolled-down windows also look bad. It looks much better driving around: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ga0-39iPleg/maxresdefault.jpg "Cybertruck Driving in Realtime at Giga Texas on 16 August 2023 in 4K") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga0-39iPleg) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/47 "2023-09-07T21:34:34Z")
Of course it looks better driving around. That means it’s only visible for as long as it takes to move away from view. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/48 "2023-09-07T21:36:43Z")
It’s a bit suspect that the only time it seems to look good are the renders (not just this top down video…any time you see a car driving along a desert road in a car ad, it’s a render. We’ve been able to photorealistically render cars for a very long time now). I can’t decide if it’s just that it looks brutish when you’re not in a swooping camera, or the build quality (how well the panels line up) is that bad in reality. Or both. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/49 "2023-09-07T21:37:25Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Though I think a lot of the F-150 sales are for use as a platform, for utility trucks, tow trucks and other such vehicles Those are virtually all F250 or F350. F150 suspension isn’t up to the job for those applications. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/50 "2023-09-07T21:37:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Again, I’ve seen articles in which people who know about how autos are manufactured said that actually making the Cybertruck is going to be difficult, if not impossible. Tesla is much better at manufacturing cost-effective EVs than their competition. They are casting enormous sections of their vehicles in one shot, eliminating hundreds of processing steps. No one else is doing that at the same scale, and I expect they had their reasons for why such a thing was difficult or impossible. So I’d take establishment knowledge with a grain of salt. Auto manufacturing is very conservative if nothing else. As an aside, the Cybertruck is constructed differently than originally planned. It was initially expected to use the skin as a significant load-bearing structure (an “exoskeleton”), but is now using the same casting technology that they’re using for their other cars (which they developed in the meantime). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/51 "2023-09-07T21:38:53Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Again, I’ve seen articles in which people who know about how autos are manufactured said that actually making the Cybertruck is going to be difficult, if not impossible. Partly because of all of the straight panels and partly because of the stainless steel panels. [Here](https://www.fastcompany.com/90945689/teslas-cybertruck-has-a-serious-problem-that-only-a-complete-redesign-can-fix), for example, is a Fast Company article that quotes a car designer saying that the Cybertruck is going to need a complete redesign. (And I’m still wondering what the thread title means about the thing being “here.”) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/52 "2023-09-07T21:40:46Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The F-150 Lightning is in a similar position but with the added downside of going through dealerships. … and your downside might well be an upside for a lot of people … > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It’s just a bad picture, though. The shape of the vehicle hasn’t changed. It’s just unflattering at that angle without the stage lighting. Rolled-down windows also look bad. It looks much better driving around: yes, unflattering - and possibly this was the reason for the pic to be taken. But poking around the electrek site, there are a couple of structural changes vs. the prototype, most of which do make it uglier (most noticable the reduced overhangs that make it look “squished”, lowered, heavy-set,…) There is a reason why there are companies like Pininfarina (sp?) - who just know how to make a car look good. … the lower pic inspires some convert-your-ford-escort-into-a-testarossa-kit vibe… that were somewhat a thing in the 80ies … a very distinct “backyard-design” feeling if you will … > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > (And I’m still wondering what the thread title means about the thing being “here.”) here = production model (admittedly a very low bar for “here”) … so what you see HERE is what you will be able to buy in a few weeks ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/53 "2023-09-07T21:40:57Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Though I think a lot of the F-150 sales are for use as a platform, for utility trucks, tow trucks and other such vehicles > > Those are virtually all F250 or F350. F150 suspension isn’t up to the job for those applications. I see articles that say that Ford sold something like 640,000 in 2022, but that’s for the entire F-series line. I’m not sure how many F-150 vehicles were sold. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/54 "2023-09-07T21:41:36Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > any time you see a car driving along a desert road in a car ad, it’s a render. There’s a pretty neat rig they use for those: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OnBC5bwV5y0/maxresdefault.jpg "Cannes Lions Innovation Film: The Mill BLACKBIRD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnBC5bwV5y0) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/55 "2023-09-07T21:42:44Z")
Oh, huh, i somehow thought Tesla was working on a real truck. You know, those things with 18 wheels that move stuff across the country. I didn’t realize the Tesla “truck” was just a futuristic-looking private passenger vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/56 "2023-09-07T21:45:51Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > As an aside, the Cybertruck is constructed differently than originally planned. It was initially expected to use the skin as a significant load-bearing structure (an “exoskeleton”), but is now using the same casting technology that they’re using for their other cars (which they developed in the meantime). Do you have any more information about that? Because the stuff I read says that those very straight panels of bent or folded stainless steel are going to be impossible to manufacture. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/57 "2023-09-07T21:47:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do you have any more information about that? Because the stuff I read says that those very straight panels of bent or folded stainless steel are going to be impossible to manufacture. limit a google search of cybertruck to electrek … they had 100s of articles on musks junk …(and while the site is pretty meh (clickbaity) … the comment section is often very knowledgable on EVs and batteries ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/58 "2023-09-07T21:51:15Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > and your downside might well be an upside for a lot of people Doubtful. [People hate car dealerships](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-americans-feel-taken-advantage-of-at-the-car-dealership-300301866.html). The people that don’t probably aren’t thinking hard enough about how much nicer the online experience can be. They’re also super sexist. A friend asked me to come along to a dealer because she knew she’d be taken advantage of otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/59 "2023-09-07T21:53:18Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Oh, huh, i somehow thought Tesla was working on a real truck. You know, those things with 18 wheels that move stuff across the country. They’ve got those too. The Tesla Semi is in limited production at the moment, but they’re hauling soda and chips around the Sacramento area right now: [![](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Frito_Lay_Modesto_Tesla_semi_truck-scaled.jpeg) ](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Frito_Lay_Modesto_Tesla_semi_truck-scaled.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702/60 "2023-09-07T21:53:41Z")
Meanwhile, I’ve heard stories about how much time and trouble it takes to get Tesla and other dealer-less vehicles serviced. So there’s still some advantages to an extensive dealer network. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-cybertruck-is-here/989702.md?page=4)