Tesla’s first electric pickup has rolled off the assembly line, the company says
Tesla says its first production Cybertruck electric pickup has rolled off the assembly line, nearly two years behind schedule.
The company tweeted a photo on Saturday showing dozens of workers in helmets and yellow vests around the truck.
“First Cybertruck built at Giga Texas!” Tesla tweeted, including a cowboy hat-wearing emoji. Owner Elon Musk retweeted the message.
Musk unveiled the truck in late 2019, and Tesla had said production would begin in late 2021, though the company has since warned that production would begin slowly and in smaller numbers than Tesla’s other vehicles.
With its wedge shape and stainless steel body—called the exoskeleton by Tesla—the Cybertruck looks nothing like a traditional pickup. Some analysts have panned it as a niche product that won’t have widespread appeal.
Musk said in April that the company expected to ship the first truck likely in the July through September quarter. He said that, as with other new products, production would start slowly and then speed up.
“It takes time to get the production line up and running,” he said, “and this is a really radical product. It’s not made the way other cars are made. So let’s see.”
The unveiling of the truck in 2019 got off track when a window touted as unbreakable was cracked by a spider when hit by a large metal ball, prompting an expletive from Musk.
Tesla originally said it would make three versions of the truck, ranging from about $40,000 to $70,000. Later, the company removed prices from the page where customers can decide if they want to put down $100 and place an order.
Competitors have entered the electric truck market, including the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian Automotive’s R1T. Both look like conventional pickups.
Tesla will report its second quarter financial results on July 19.
