Elon Musk says people still want the Tesla Cybertruck, despite its highly anticipated demo going off the rails.
“146k Cybertruck orders so far, with 42 per cent choosing dual, 41 per cent tri & 17 per cent single motor,” the tech mogul said in a tweet Saturday afternoon.
Musk unveiled the new electric truck in Los Angeles, Calif., in a live event on Thursday evening, promising a “bulletproof” vehicle expected to challenge United States top-selling Ford F-150 pickup truck.
But the demo took a turn for the worse, while Franz von Holzhausen, Musk’s head of design, was showing off the Cybertruck’s durability.
The vehicle’s body withstood a blow from a sledgehammer, but large cracks broke two of its “armoured” windows when von Holzhausen struck them with metal balls.
The damage was palpable. The words “oh my f—ing God,” echoed from Musk onstage when he saw the damage on the driver’s side window of the vehicle.
Critics and car fanatics speculated whether or not the Cybertruck would sell following its disastrous public reveal. Tesla shares fell six per cent on Friday. But according to Musk, pre-order sales are booming.
Prices for the Cybertruck’s single motor rear-wheel drive vehicle are set at US$39,900 per truck, according to Tesla’s website. The dual motor version all-wheel drive is expected to sell for US$49,900 and the tri motor all-wheel drive is priced at $69,900.
The vehicle’s boxy, futuristic design has been been met with various response, with some comparing its gunmetal look to the DeLorean, a failed line of vehicles from the 1980s that became popular through the film Back to the Future, and the Halo Warthog, a tactical ground vehicle used in the popular game, Halo.
There is currently no official release date for the Cybertruck models. Production for the single and dual motor vehicles are set to begin in late 2021, while the tri-motor vehicle is expected to begin in late 2022.