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As someone with a strong preference for a classical aesthetic I'm finding it hard to reason just how drawn to this vehicle I am. It's just so outrageously diff
by cmdshiftf4 7y ago
As someone with a strong preference for a classical aesthetic I'm finding it hard to reason just how drawn to this vehicle I am.
It's just so outrageously different, offers the functionality of both a truck and the tech and performance of a Tesla, and isn't comparable with other 'trucks' which I'd argue are homogeneous in nature, cliche, particularly un-aesthetically pleasing and are synonymous with gas-guzzling North American indulgence.
Regardless, it's another instance of Musk pushing boundaries which I find myself continually applauding.
- 2muchcoffeeman 7y agoHow old are you? This Reminds of what we thought the future would look like in the 80s. I’d totally buy a reasonably priced car with this aesthetic.
- cmdshiftf4 7y agoBorn in the 80s but old enough to remember the end of them. If what you're saying is that in producing what is a very futuristic truck design, especially compared to the current market, that Musk is actually evoking a sense of nostalgia from a demographic likely to be the target market then I can't say I'd disagree.
- m463 7y agoThat's an interesting change from the 50's retro scifi look. Looks like Ark II style scifi from the 80s.
- riffraff 7y agothe fact it looks like a truck version of the DMC DeLorean doesn't help either.
- mixmastamyk 7y agoA delorean crossed with a big trak. Reminds me of the old battlestar galactica shuttles.
- OscarTheGrinch 7y agoIt's defiantly got a Cylon vibe going on...
- mixmastamyk 7y agoYeah! Would be great if the system could say “by your command” at appropriate times. And have a Cylon/Nightrider sweeping red lighting.
- JackFr 7y agoIt’s a Delorean El Camino.
- ralusek 7y agoIt's definitely tapping into current retro-futurism that is super focused on vaporwave/80s stuff. It's a phase that I wouldn't personally bet on, because at the time they were simply projecting what they thought the future would look like, and were just wrong.
- ddalex 7y agoWere they wrong if this truck hits the streets next year? I'd say they were right on the money.
- thrav 7y agoEat your heart out Baudrillard
- olefoo 7y agoThe map is NOT the territory, it prefigures it and shapes the perception of those who meet the territory already ruled out around them like an endless net of roads across the desert floor. Welcome to the desert of the real.
- taneq 7y agoIf the territory is designed off the map, however...
- shifto 7y ago> and were just wrong. Not anymore!
- TeMPOraL 7y agoNot only 80s! Plenty of sci-fi shows had something similar as a generic future car design base, except with a proper paint job and extra lights here and there. This car can be easily turned into something that looks properly modern. Related, this seems to be something of a theme with Musk's companies. Landing rockets is an old-school concept, and Starship looks like it was taken straight from the cover of some pulp sci-fi work from the 60s.
- solstice 7y agoYes, the only way Starship could look more retro futuristic would have been to use the ticket from Tintin:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bb/The_Adventures_of_Tintin_-_16_-_Destination_Moon.jpg/220px-The_Adventures_of_Tintin_-_16_-_Destination_Moon.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bb/The_Adv...
- Al-Khwarizmi 7y agoYour latter observation is not surprising. The 60s-80s were times of confidence in the future, in progress. We visited the moon, flied in supersonic airliners, and we were confident that we would keep exploring always further, always faster. Now that spirit has largely faded away, the West seems to have lost faith in progress in exploration and is focused in preserving what we already have - sometimes for good reasons (environmentalism and fight against climate change), sometimes not (disproportionate attention to minor threats like terrorism, fear of immigration, etc.) Musk clearly still believes in progress and exploration, hence it's not surprising that his designs end up evoking reminiscences from that era.
- zorked 7y agoThe 80s were when we thought the US and the USSR would kill all of humankind with H-bombs. Blade Runner if what we thought the future would look like if we were lucky enough to have one. And this new Tesla seems reminiscent to me of that pessimistic idea of the future, trying to survive the apocalypse on Earth. Not like the optimistic future of 2001 A Space Odyssey.
- sveme 7y agoI fear Musk wants to recreate all those future visions he's seen in eighties movies and tv shows in his childhood. If his next product is the Airwolf helicopter I feel vindicated.
- jacobush 7y agoI almost laughed out loud, I love the cybertruck but man it's so blatant. It feels like someone just blurted out a hilarious joke and you want to laugh out loud but you kind of glance at those next to you to see "is this ok with you people"?
- abtinf 7y agoIt reminds me of the Vector.
- antihero 7y agoI like it, but I think the wheels look too small. If the wheels were like, bigger, it would look fucking cool.
- puranjay 7y agoFitting that it's released in November 2019, the month nad year the original Bladerunner was set in
- jansan 7y agoUh, how can I, being a hardcore Bladerunner fan, not have spotted this? Thanks.
- flir 7y agoIt's Brutalism with a wheel at each corner. Not gonna lie, I kinda love it.
- ryanmercer 7y ago>How old are you? This Reminds of what we thought the future would look like in the 80s. As soon as I saw it I thought "dystopian future military transport". Then I remembered Blade Runner is set this month, of this year, and uncharacteristically giggled.
- waiseristy 7y agoThe fact that you hate modern truck design means you are not representative of 99% of truck buyers. Have you noticed the Honda Ridgeline has completely fell in line with other manufactures styling because of I presume market pressure?
- cmdshiftf4 7y agoI'd never claim to be representative of 99% of truck buyers. Like most here I work in tech and live in the city. Do I see this turning up on construction sites in the next few years? No, probably not, for many reasons. Can I see it capturing some of the market of recreational truck buyers? I can, just as the Model S took part of the luxury sports car market by appealing to people who could likely afford more expensive "status" vehicles by being different.
- waiseristy 7y agoAh, I don't know. The Model S had a much wider market appeal because it looks exactly like a Maserati. A commonly agreed upon good looking car. I agree that you're probably the exact market this monstrosity is aimed for. But that 'status' based market is tiny. teensy, itty bitty. Why do you think the Model 3 was such a profitable success?
- thrav 7y agoIf you don’t think the Model 3 is a status vehicle, you crazy. It has status like having the new iPhone on day 1 has status. Different than big money status, but still status.
- waiseristy 7y agoYeah I agree, different than big money status. It's like sexy-i-financed-this status. The type of status that this truck is trying to market to is like the `I paid 1.5 million cash for this crazy pentagon` status.
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- gexla 7y agoI'm tired of curvy trucks anyways. Maybe it's a good time to go back to something more straight. I also like that the exterior can take such a beating. It doesn't make sense that a tough pick-up can get so easily dinged and scratched. I would MUCH rather have that durable shell.
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoI agree that curvy got taken to excess, but I'd rather go back to something like a Land Rover Defender aesthetic, where every surface is something to stand or mount something on, often with built in grip surface or mounts. This dystopian cross between stealth bomber and Mad Max is angular, but straight in all the wrong directions. It looks like it's going to be a challenge to pass EU pedestrian safety regs, but I'm quite impressed they have achieved the ugliest road vehicle bar none. I'm amazed the balance of comments here seems hugely in favour - to me it looks like a wind up!
- gexla 7y agoLove this comment. I think you're right on pointing out the lack of mountable surfaces. I have seen that mentioned elsewhere. This thing needs to accommodate accessories. I love how this thing has the dystopian look, yet it doesn't need gas. Mad Max was all about gas. Maybe gas would make a comeback in a Mad Max world since chargers might become hard to come by. If ugly was a goal, this was an interesting way to accomplish it. This is ugly that I would be okay caught driving in. This is ugly which achieved a goal, rather than not attempting to be ugly but horribly failed. ;) There's still some time before this thing actually ships. Maybe they'll make some changes so that truck people could properly attach things like gun racks and winches.
- Corrado 7y agoWith the smooth straight sides you could probably use large suction cups or magnets to attach rails or hooks. It would be nice to have hard-points for a more permanent fixture and one that wouldn't be so easy to steal.
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