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I personally think it’s terribly ugly and somewhat impractical as a work truck. But forget what I think: Tesla has in the past adopted an attitude of “let’s mak

I personally think it’s terribly ugly and somewhat impractical as a work truck. But forget what I think: Tesla has in the past adopted an attitude of “let’s make electric cars look like really attractive but conventional non-EV cars”, and it’s worked for them (and for me.) The new approach flies directly in the face of that. It’s an experiment that might succeed brilliantly or fail brilliantly, whereas a more conventional approach would probably have succeeded just as well without the failure probability. For the reasons I stated above, I think it’s a bad thing for Tesla to bet its future on such weird, risky gambles at this stage in the company’s adoption strategy.

wincy 5y ago
On the other hand, I don’t like trucks and the type of culture associated with trucks, but think the Cybertruck is super cool looking. Like something out of an 80s future that will really stand out in a crowd of otherwise boring and sameish vehicles.
- verdverm 5y ago
  What culture are you referring to? The working class that uses them to build housing and operate almost every skilled labor profession? Or maybe you mean farmers who grow our food?
  - dzhiurgis 5y ago
    For either - a truck that doesn't rust and can potentially last decades could be significant money saver.
    - verdverm 5y ago
      Rust is not specific to trucks, it's more tied to using salt on the roads. Vehicles from the south have significantly less rust. Still doesn't explain what you dislike about the "culture" associated with trucks. Maybe something like South Park S10E2?
      - dzhiurgis 5y ago
        I'm not an op, but to me trucks indeed look stupid. Cybertruck looks more like an SUV.
        verdverm 5y ago
        Trucks are about utility, focusing on looks is juvenile I guess I shouldn't be surprised as the world is slowly becoming a highschool popularity contest...
        dzhiurgis 5y ago
        I have no utility of normal truck, but Cybertruck would be way more useful to me.
ericd 5y ago
The angular shape is definitely weird, but it's awesome that it's meant to be treated like crap and hold up well. No paint to worry about scratches on, and the skin should be super durable. And maybe they'll get the glass to where they thought it should be :-) I think it's one of the better weird ideas they've had.
blehn 5y ago
They now have nearly a full line of "conventional" looking cars — S, 3, X, Y, Roadster — that are still years ahead of the competition. Cybertruck may be risky as an individual product, but the future of the company isn't on the line. On the other hand, if it's successful it only further distances Tesla from other manufacturers.
- matthewdgreen 5y ago
  To really succeed in the US they need two things: a slightly larger SUV (the Y really is barely in this category) and some much cheaper cars. Trucks are also popular but maybe not essential. Insofar as they’re devoting resources to the truck line, those resources are coming away from other priorities. They should be in every market to succeed at this point, not to take “fashion” gambles against popular (upcoming) brands like Ford’s F150 Lightning.
  - blehn 5y ago
    Not sure what you mean by slightly larger SUV — the Y is the same size as an X3, the X is the same size as an X5. Cheaper cars, sure... and clearly that will be their strategy as they scale production. You could also argue that the Cybertruck announcement puts additional pressure on competitors. Do they write it off as a certain flop and proceed with their plans? Or do they begin designing a similar truck so that they're not once again 10 years behind if the Cybertruck is successful?
    - matthewdgreen 5y ago
      The Y is clearly designed to compete with the X3 on dimensions and price, even if it looks like a car. The X is significantly more expensive than the X5; it’s in a different price category. Plus now it comes with a weird steering wheel that my wife would never put up with, and she’s the only one in the family who would even want a large SUV.
dehrmann 5y ago
If the F-150 Lightning is a serious project for Ford (and it seems to be), it will destroy the Cyber Truck in sales because Ford knows trucks, what buyers want, and how to sell them. The Cyber Truck has limited appeal to traditional truck buyers; it's a truck for someone who wants a truck but is worried about what their liberal friends will think.
- jdhn 5y ago
  >it's a truck for someone who wants a truck but is worried about what their liberal friends will think. This is right on the money. Can't have a truck made by the Big 3 lest your progressive credentials be ruined.

wincy 5y ago

On the other hand, I don’t like trucks and the type of culture associated with trucks, but think the Cybertruck is super cool looking. Like something out of an 80s future that will really stand out in a crowd of otherwise boring and sameish vehicles.

verdverm 5y ago
What culture are you referring to? The working class that uses them to build housing and operate almost every skilled labor profession? Or maybe you mean farmers who grow our food?
- dzhiurgis 5y ago
  For either - a truck that doesn't rust and can potentially last decades could be significant money saver.
  - verdverm 5y ago
    Rust is not specific to trucks, it's more tied to using salt on the roads. Vehicles from the south have significantly less rust. Still doesn't explain what you dislike about the "culture" associated with trucks. Maybe something like South Park S10E2?
    - dzhiurgis 5y ago
      I'm not an op, but to me trucks indeed look stupid. Cybertruck looks more like an SUV.
      - verdverm 5y ago
        Trucks are about utility, focusing on looks is juvenile I guess I shouldn't be surprised as the world is slowly becoming a highschool popularity contest...
        dzhiurgis 5y ago
        I have no utility of normal truck, but Cybertruck would be way more useful to me.

ericd 5y ago

The angular shape is definitely weird, but it's awesome that it's meant to be treated like crap and hold up well. No paint to worry about scratches on, and the skin should be super durable. And maybe they'll get the glass to where they thought it should be :-) I think it's one of the better weird ideas they've had.

blehn 5y ago

They now have nearly a full line of "conventional" looking cars — S, 3, X, Y, Roadster — that are still years ahead of the competition. Cybertruck may be risky as an individual product, but the future of the company isn't on the line. On the other hand, if it's successful it only further distances Tesla from other manufacturers.

matthewdgreen 5y ago
To really succeed in the US they need two things: a slightly larger SUV (the Y really is barely in this category) and some much cheaper cars. Trucks are also popular but maybe not essential. Insofar as they’re devoting resources to the truck line, those resources are coming away from other priorities. They should be in every market to succeed at this point, not to take “fashion” gambles against popular (upcoming) brands like Ford’s F150 Lightning.
- blehn 5y ago
  Not sure what you mean by slightly larger SUV — the Y is the same size as an X3, the X is the same size as an X5. Cheaper cars, sure... and clearly that will be their strategy as they scale production. You could also argue that the Cybertruck announcement puts additional pressure on competitors. Do they write it off as a certain flop and proceed with their plans? Or do they begin designing a similar truck so that they're not once again 10 years behind if the Cybertruck is successful?
  - matthewdgreen 5y ago
    The Y is clearly designed to compete with the X3 on dimensions and price, even if it looks like a car. The X is significantly more expensive than the X5; it’s in a different price category. Plus now it comes with a weird steering wheel that my wife would never put up with, and she’s the only one in the family who would even want a large SUV.

dehrmann 5y ago

If the F-150 Lightning is a serious project for Ford (and it seems to be), it will destroy the Cyber Truck in sales because Ford knows trucks, what buyers want, and how to sell them. The Cyber Truck has limited appeal to traditional truck buyers; it's a truck for someone who wants a truck but is worried about what their liberal friends will think.

jdhn 5y ago
>it's a truck for someone who wants a truck but is worried about what their liberal friends will think. This is right on the money. Can't have a truck made by the Big 3 lest your progressive credentials be ruined.