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It should look more like a truck first of all. Second it should have truck-like capabilities: Camper NO, Fifth Wheel NO, Travel Trailer YES. Most Normal trucks

It should look more like a truck first of all. Second it should have truck-like capabilities: Camper NO, Fifth Wheel NO, Travel Trailer YES. Most Normal trucks can do the other 2. It's not a truck.

jqpabc123 3y ago
Form over function --- the unescapable badge of inexperience.
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  People are buying status symbols. Sell to them if they choose to. https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-size-pickup-truck-you-need-a-cowboy-costume https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-siz...
  - jqpabc123 3y ago
    [flagged]
sidewndr46 3y ago
if you look back at the development of the Honda Ridgeline, the 1st gen had this weird bed structure where it was sloped. Structurally and aerodynamically this is great. From a functional standpoint it makes it difficult if not impossible to load and unload from the sides of the bed. They 2nd generation uses a more traditional bed design. I suspect the cybertruck will wind up with a similar makeover
- ahahahahah 3y ago
  > I suspect the cybertruck will wind up with a similar makeover They haven't been able to redesign or even facelift the 11 year old Model S. You may be right, but it'll be a while.
- bryanlarsen 3y ago
  I'm over 6 feet tall with unnaturally long arms, and I find it hard to load and unload a 2021 Silverado from the sides since trucks are so much higher today than they used to be.
  - gottorf 3y ago
    Yeah, modern half-tons have gotten ridiculously tall. You have to be a giant to actually use the bed for loading things, since the floor of the bed is up to your chest these days. An actual work truck would look like this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/00_hyundai_porter_3.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/00_hyund...
    - rented_mule 3y ago
      Yes! My wife and I live in a rural mountain area in California. We only have one car, and it's a car because that is what is most practical for 95% of what we do. I'd love to have a kei truck for a second vehicle. Mainly for little runs to the lumber yard or to the local green waste disposal site after clearing our property to reduce our exposure to wildfires. And it's small enough to be out of the way when not in use. The one pictured in your link has 3 tail gates (back and two sides) that can be opened to make it a flat bed when needed. It won't haul multiple tons, but I never need to do that. Alas, they are very hard or impossible to register in many US states, including California.
      - gottorf 3y ago
        I'm not sure how small you need it to be, but if you took an older regular cab half-ton with the shorter wheelbase (6' instead of 8' bed) and replaced the bed with one of those fold-down-side beds, it'll be relatively compact. Or you could just rent a mule ;-)
  - digging 3y ago
    Typical American pickups aren't any more functional than Cybertrucks today. They may have the right bed shape but they're scaled up to look cool and own libs so that, as you say, they're impractical to load.
dangus 3y ago
Look at your typical American luxury truck. Now look at your roofer’s work truck. They’re practically not the same vehicles anymore. The Cybertruck will sell well because it’s a status symbol for its demographic.
- treis 3y ago
  Seems like there's little overlap between the Truck as a status symbol and Tesla as a status symbol crowd.
  - gottorf 3y ago
    I can see enough overlap; just see the recent trend of "off-road capable" vehicles in all shapes and sizes. Many people with high-paying jobs in cities who never drive off the pavement spend extra money to buy e.g. a Crosstrek Wilderness over a Corolla, or a Wrangler Rubicon over an Escape, or a G-wagen over a Highlander. That same mindset could lead one to desire the Cybertruck.
    - treis 3y ago
      Those aren't trucks, though. They're glorified hatchbacks and are essentially cars with more storage room. A truck with an open bed is much less practical for city life. I've seen some concepts with glass covers for the bed. That makes it more like the crossover SUVs. If they do something like that then I can see it.
  - Apocryphon 3y ago
    Wonder if the Rivian has tapped into the overlap between that two.
- saiya-jin 3y ago
  You mean like luxury SUVs for soccer moms? Yeah marketing can push people into some seriously weird choices, I guess that's why marketing was needed.
- hindsightbias 3y ago

It should look more like a truck first of all. Second it should have truck-like capabilities: Camper NO, Fifth Wheel NO, Travel Trailer YES. Most Normal trucks can do the other 2. It's not a truck.

jqpabc123 3y ago

Form over function --- the unescapable badge of inexperience.

toomuchtodo 3y ago
People are buying status symbols. Sell to them if they choose to. https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-size-pickup-truck-you-need-a-cowboy-costume https://www.thedrive.com/news/26907/you-dont-need-a-full-siz...
- jqpabc123 3y ago
  [flagged]

sidewndr46 3y ago

if you look back at the development of the Honda Ridgeline, the 1st gen had this weird bed structure where it was sloped. Structurally and aerodynamically this is great. From a functional standpoint it makes it difficult if not impossible to load and unload from the sides of the bed. They 2nd generation uses a more traditional bed design. I suspect the cybertruck will wind up with a similar makeover

ahahahahah 3y ago
> I suspect the cybertruck will wind up with a similar makeover They haven't been able to redesign or even facelift the 11 year old Model S. You may be right, but it'll be a while.
bryanlarsen 3y ago
I'm over 6 feet tall with unnaturally long arms, and I find it hard to load and unload a 2021 Silverado from the sides since trucks are so much higher today than they used to be.
- gottorf 3y ago
  Yeah, modern half-tons have gotten ridiculously tall. You have to be a giant to actually use the bed for loading things, since the floor of the bed is up to your chest these days. An actual work truck would look like this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/00_hyundai_porter_3.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/00_hyund...
  - rented_mule 3y ago
    Yes! My wife and I live in a rural mountain area in California. We only have one car, and it's a car because that is what is most practical for 95% of what we do. I'd love to have a kei truck for a second vehicle. Mainly for little runs to the lumber yard or to the local green waste disposal site after clearing our property to reduce our exposure to wildfires. And it's small enough to be out of the way when not in use. The one pictured in your link has 3 tail gates (back and two sides) that can be opened to make it a flat bed when needed. It won't haul multiple tons, but I never need to do that. Alas, they are very hard or impossible to register in many US states, including California.
    - gottorf 3y ago
      I'm not sure how small you need it to be, but if you took an older regular cab half-ton with the shorter wheelbase (6' instead of 8' bed) and replaced the bed with one of those fold-down-side beds, it'll be relatively compact. Or you could just rent a mule ;-)
- digging 3y ago
  Typical American pickups aren't any more functional than Cybertrucks today. They may have the right bed shape but they're scaled up to look cool and own libs so that, as you say, they're impractical to load.

dangus 3y ago

Look at your typical American luxury truck. Now look at your roofer’s work truck. They’re practically not the same vehicles anymore. The Cybertruck will sell well because it’s a status symbol for its demographic.

treis 3y ago
Seems like there's little overlap between the Truck as a status symbol and Tesla as a status symbol crowd.
- gottorf 3y ago
  I can see enough overlap; just see the recent trend of "off-road capable" vehicles in all shapes and sizes. Many people with high-paying jobs in cities who never drive off the pavement spend extra money to buy e.g. a Crosstrek Wilderness over a Corolla, or a Wrangler Rubicon over an Escape, or a G-wagen over a Highlander. That same mindset could lead one to desire the Cybertruck.
  - treis 3y ago
    Those aren't trucks, though. They're glorified hatchbacks and are essentially cars with more storage room. A truck with an open bed is much less practical for city life. I've seen some concepts with glass covers for the bed. That makes it more like the crossover SUVs. If they do something like that then I can see it.
- Apocryphon 3y ago
  Wonder if the Rivian has tapped into the overlap between that two.
saiya-jin 3y ago
You mean like luxury SUVs for soccer moms? Yeah marketing can push people into some seriously weird choices, I guess that's why marketing was needed.
hindsightbias 3y ago