6 ms·

I 100% disagree, and believe what you're doing is the classic English Major grasping for meaning where none was implied. I think what we're seeing is what happ

I 100% disagree, and believe what you're doing is the classic English Major grasping for meaning where none was implied. I think what we're seeing is what happens when there is no one around to say 'no' to a company. Tesla is being fed, by everyone in at least the US, that they are the future and are prophets of what is to come. So you take the attitude of 'I can do nothing wrong' and add a dash of Musk's inherent God-Complex, and mix it into the culture there. And this is what you get. That's my theory.

qaq 7y ago
This has baked in assumption that it will not sell. Even if everyone thinks it's fugly there are a lot of use cases where it will be a perfect fit.
- Fjolsvith 7y ago
  Like 3500 lbs carry capacity.
  - winternett 7y ago
    Or when you need to wedge a giant door open?
    - qaq 7y ago
      police applications
  - juliangoldsmith 7y ago
    Or the 14,000 lb towing capacity (about on par with a Ford F-250, though more expensive).
- GVIrish 7y ago
  The average consumer of a truck cares about the looks. Unless the Cybertruck allows buyers to address a use case that is so compelling that they're willing to excuse the looks, Tesla is not going to sell many of these. Maybe Tesla is banking on luring people who don't usually buy trucks, or that truck buyers are so hungry for an EV that they'll go for it. But someone who doesn't usually buy trucks, would just buy a Model 3 or Y. Traditional truck buyers tend to be fiercely loyal to their brand so they'd probably be more likely to wait for EV versions from the favorite truck brand.
  - randcraw 7y ago
    Yes. Existing truck owners will not buy this truck. They will be afraid they will be laughed at by other truck owners like themselves. Trucks are very much a product that identifies you as "one of us" vs "one of them". The Cybertruck will fail that test utterly. Owning one screams "I'm one of THEM". Not what you want if you want to make inroads in the mainstream pickup market. (Not to mention that recharging a truck with a 220V line in rural America, where folks often park nowhere near their house, will be a major problem.) Yes, this truck will be popular initially among well-heeled yuppies who want to stand out -- probably taken entirely from the existing Tesla S market (or S wannabes). But unless you leave SF/NYC/Boston every once in a while, you don't realize how small that world really is. No more than 5% of this country can afford an S. And while this truck is more affordable than an S, its appeal is much narrower. It will attract only the vanishingly small Venn intersection space that's Tesla S + pickup-drivers-who-don't-actually-haul-anything. This thing will flash on the radar for a year or two, in small sales numbers, then die utterly, with poor sales used thereafter, once the fashionista bloom fades.
    - madengr 7y ago
      Do you realize how much full sized diesel trucks cost? They typically start at $50k, and can be configured close to $100k. People are buying them. Whether they can afford them, who knows, but they do sell. Flyover country is not broke. Plenty of these expensive trucks around here; I drive a Leaf. Good point though about the outdoor charging, but running an external charger is cheap and easy on rural property. Some diesels have block heaters anyway. What will be interesting to see is the range when towing. This thing will have the torque of 350 diesels, but what about the range in towing, compared to dual tanks. Operating costs could be far less with electricity.
      - MisterOctober 7y ago
        Yep. Phoenix resident here; can confirm that expensive full-size trucks are the norm for well-heeled folk of all cultural strata in this region. I live in a fairly affluent section of the city and big, costly pickup trucks are _far_ more common than luxury sedans or especially sports cars.
- Loughla 7y ago
  No, I actually believe the opposite. I think it will sell like hotcakes, and be the status symbol of new-age yuppies for 2022. But only because of the cult-like following of Musk and Tesla. So I guess, it's a chicken an egg question with this thing. Will it be popular because of what it is, or will it be popular because of who made it.
  - olyjohn 7y ago
    It gives the yuppies an ugly ass brodozer that out-bros the F350s and other 3500 pickups on the market, without the coal rolling. And they'll be faster in a straight line too, so they can now get their e-peen off beating out the big, modded 600hp diesels and laughing about how they are so much more eco-friendly.
erikpukinskis 7y ago
This is absurd. Tesla has had a period of danger of bankrupting every two years for its entire existence. Each of which they pulled out of by doubling deliveries. They’re quite possibly the only car company who has had actual skin in the game in recent years. The rest of them just went begging to Daddy (Congress) when they got themselves fully fucked. Your notion that GM, Ford, etc are somehow living in “the real world” seems willfully ignorant of history.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- isantop 7y ago
  To say nothing of Toyota, Honda, Mazda, many German manufacturers... amirite?
  - erikpukinskis 7y ago
    No, I wouldn’t imply anything about them. The point of discussion is pickup trucks so they’re less relevant.
- Loughla 7y ago
  I literally said nothing about GM, Ford or the rest. I didn't even imply anything about them. Who are you replying to?
  - erikpukinskis 7y ago
    You literally made a claim about “the rest”. Who, in your mind, are the companies other than Tesla, if not Ford, GM, et al?
    - Loughla 7y ago
      What? Who are you replying to? my comment: >I 100% disagree, and believe what you're doing is the classic English Major grasping for meaning where none was implied. >I think what we're seeing is what happens when there is no one around to say 'no' to a company. Tesla is being fed, by everyone in at least the US, that they are the future and are prophets of what is to come. >So you take the attitude of 'I can do nothing wrong' and add a dash of Musk's inherent God-Complex, and mix it into the culture there. >And this is what you get. >That's my theory. Where are you reading whatever it is you're reading about "the rest"? Who are you replying to?

qaq 7y ago

This has baked in assumption that it will not sell. Even if everyone thinks it's fugly there are a lot of use cases where it will be a perfect fit.

Fjolsvith 7y ago
Like 3500 lbs carry capacity.
- winternett 7y ago
  Or when you need to wedge a giant door open?
  - qaq 7y ago
    police applications
- juliangoldsmith 7y ago
  Or the 14,000 lb towing capacity (about on par with a Ford F-250, though more expensive).
GVIrish 7y ago
The average consumer of a truck cares about the looks. Unless the Cybertruck allows buyers to address a use case that is so compelling that they're willing to excuse the looks, Tesla is not going to sell many of these. Maybe Tesla is banking on luring people who don't usually buy trucks, or that truck buyers are so hungry for an EV that they'll go for it. But someone who doesn't usually buy trucks, would just buy a Model 3 or Y. Traditional truck buyers tend to be fiercely loyal to their brand so they'd probably be more likely to wait for EV versions from the favorite truck brand.
- randcraw 7y ago
  Yes. Existing truck owners will not buy this truck. They will be afraid they will be laughed at by other truck owners like themselves. Trucks are very much a product that identifies you as "one of us" vs "one of them". The Cybertruck will fail that test utterly. Owning one screams "I'm one of THEM". Not what you want if you want to make inroads in the mainstream pickup market. (Not to mention that recharging a truck with a 220V line in rural America, where folks often park nowhere near their house, will be a major problem.) Yes, this truck will be popular initially among well-heeled yuppies who want to stand out -- probably taken entirely from the existing Tesla S market (or S wannabes). But unless you leave SF/NYC/Boston every once in a while, you don't realize how small that world really is. No more than 5% of this country can afford an S. And while this truck is more affordable than an S, its appeal is much narrower. It will attract only the vanishingly small Venn intersection space that's Tesla S + pickup-drivers-who-don't-actually-haul-anything. This thing will flash on the radar for a year or two, in small sales numbers, then die utterly, with poor sales used thereafter, once the fashionista bloom fades.
  - madengr 7y ago
    Do you realize how much full sized diesel trucks cost? They typically start at $50k, and can be configured close to $100k. People are buying them. Whether they can afford them, who knows, but they do sell. Flyover country is not broke. Plenty of these expensive trucks around here; I drive a Leaf. Good point though about the outdoor charging, but running an external charger is cheap and easy on rural property. Some diesels have block heaters anyway. What will be interesting to see is the range when towing. This thing will have the torque of 350 diesels, but what about the range in towing, compared to dual tanks. Operating costs could be far less with electricity.
    - MisterOctober 7y ago
      Yep. Phoenix resident here; can confirm that expensive full-size trucks are the norm for well-heeled folk of all cultural strata in this region. I live in a fairly affluent section of the city and big, costly pickup trucks are _far_ more common than luxury sedans or especially sports cars.
Loughla 7y ago
No, I actually believe the opposite. I think it will sell like hotcakes, and be the status symbol of new-age yuppies for 2022. But only because of the cult-like following of Musk and Tesla. So I guess, it's a chicken an egg question with this thing. Will it be popular because of what it is, or will it be popular because of who made it.
- olyjohn 7y ago
  It gives the yuppies an ugly ass brodozer that out-bros the F350s and other 3500 pickups on the market, without the coal rolling. And they'll be faster in a straight line too, so they can now get their e-peen off beating out the big, modded 600hp diesels and laughing about how they are so much more eco-friendly.

erikpukinskis 7y ago

This is absurd. Tesla has had a period of danger of bankrupting every two years for its entire existence. Each of which they pulled out of by doubling deliveries. They’re quite possibly the only car company who has had actual skin in the game in recent years. The rest of them just went begging to Daddy (Congress) when they got themselves fully fucked. Your notion that GM, Ford, etc are somehow living in “the real world” seems willfully ignorant of history.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
isantop 7y ago
To say nothing of Toyota, Honda, Mazda, many German manufacturers... amirite?
- erikpukinskis 7y ago
  No, I wouldn’t imply anything about them. The point of discussion is pickup trucks so they’re less relevant.
Loughla 7y ago
I literally said nothing about GM, Ford or the rest. I didn't even imply anything about them. Who are you replying to?
- erikpukinskis 7y ago
  You literally made a claim about “the rest”. Who, in your mind, are the companies other than Tesla, if not Ford, GM, et al?
  - Loughla 7y ago
    What? Who are you replying to? my comment: >I 100% disagree, and believe what you're doing is the classic English Major grasping for meaning where none was implied. >I think what we're seeing is what happens when there is no one around to say 'no' to a company. Tesla is being fed, by everyone in at least the US, that they are the future and are prophets of what is to come. >So you take the attitude of 'I can do nothing wrong' and add a dash of Musk's inherent God-Complex, and mix it into the culture there. >And this is what you get. >That's my theory. Where are you reading whatever it is you're reading about "the rest"? Who are you replying to?