The Tesla Cybertruck is set to enter the production phase in limited units this Summer, after many setbacks and delays for the much-anticipated and highly controversial all-electric pickup that was initially unveiled in late 2019.
In other words, the rumor that said the Cybertruck will go into production in mid-2023 was confirmed by Elon Musk during Tesla’s Q4 and Full Year 2022 Earnings Call, where someone asked if the EV truck was still slated for manufacturing by early 2023, to which Musk replied with:
“We do expect production to start sometime this summer, but I always kind of downplay the start of production because the start of production is always very slow.” Moreover, the American EV maker stated in its Shareholder Deck for the call that Cybertruck production “remains on track to begin” later this year.
Musk went on to say that “I wouldn’t put too much stock in the start of production,” noting that volume production is what’s important, with a scheduled ramp-up set for 2024.
Not that the volume-oriented lineup of vehicles in the manufacturer’s portfolio has matured, with over 1.3 million vehicles delivered worldwide in 2022, and with the Semi already on the roads, it’s time for the Cybertruck to enter the final phases of its development and reach production-ready status.
Earlier this month, Tesla’s Chief Vehicle Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, said in a podcast that the upcoming pickup is ready “from a design perspective” and there were numerous sightings of production equipment being delivered to the carmaker’s factory in Texas, where the so-called Giga Press will be used to form the body of the Cybertruck.
Gallery: Tesla Cybertruck
The castings molds were also spotted on a recent bill of lading, indicating that the Texas Gigafactory is slowly putting together all the necessary pieces for the Cybertruck’s production.
When it was unveiled in 2019, Tesla’s electric pickup featured seating for six people, a 17-inch center touchscreen display, a yoke steering wheel, and an expected range between 250 and 500 miles on a single charge, depending on the configuration.
Initially, Tesla’s website showed all the expected trim levels that would eventually be available, along with their estimated prices, but the company later removed all this information and left just the pre-order page in place.
Back in 2019, the estimated starting price for a base single-motor Cybertruck with an estimated range of 250 miles was $39,900, while a tri-motor model with 500 miles of range and a top speed of 130 mph was listed at $69,900.
Some unofficial estimates show that around 1.5 million people have pre-ordered Tesla’s all-electric pickup since its reveal in 2019, with Elon Musk saying that the company received 146,000 pre-orders just two days after the truck was shown for the first time.
