Jhodgesatmb

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The disappointing thing is that Tesla's original goal was to make the Cybertruck both great AND affordable. Elon spelled this out explicitly in a 2019 interview:

So where is the pricing now? Around the Model S and Model X level.
In the 5 years after the Cybertruck was announced the price of every truck went up. *I* hoped Tesla would honor the original pricing as much as anyone, and really thought they would, and that they would honor the original feature set, but I have to say that the car I got exceeded what I signed up for.

I just don’t think that the sales numbers are even close to a price-only consideration. It is a LOT of bad press, a LOT of Elon turning the world against Tesla and EVs, and some inflation and job security. People are still buying cars and trucks; they’ve just pivoted against Tesla and BEVs.
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Cayden Thompson

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In the 5 years after the Cybertruck was announced the price of every truck went up. *I* hoped Tesla would honor the original pricing as much as anyone, and really thought they would, and that they would honor the original feature set, but I have to say that the car I got exceeded what I signed up for.

I just don’t think that the sales numbers are even close to a price-only consideration. It is a LOT of bad press, a LOT of Elon turning the world against Tesla and EVs, and some inflation and job security. People are still buying cars and trucks; they’ve just pivoted against Tesla and BEVs.
One thing for sure is I would have a CT if they were more affordable. My wife and I both lost our job this past year. She's still unemployed. We have to pay for daycare which is painfully expensive. We give tithes to our church. Food, utilities, insurance have all gone up. It's tough out there for most.
 

HaulingAss

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Slate will probably be best seller of 2027 though. Assuming they actually make it happen.
Assuming they make it happen? Yeah, the trick would be if Slate actually makes more than 6,000 of them. Even that is nowhere near best-seller territory.
 

HaulingAss

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Is this satire?

The segment for BEV pickups is small. Even with ~500 miles of range (Silverado/GMC)
Exactly! Range is not the limiting factor to EV pickup sales, price is! All of the current offerings have more than enough range for the majority of the market.

If you look at the sales numbers, the truck with the least max range, the Lightning, sold the most, then the Cybertruck with 340 miles of range, then the GM variants with nearly 500 miles of range pull up the tail of the pack. That shows an inverse correlation between range and sales.
 

HaulingAss

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When new car/truck sales drop below 60,000 units per year your bankrupt
Why?

J.I.T. automotive assembly production lines
1 shift production you lose $
2 shift automotive production you break even $
3 shift automotive production you make $


Sales less than 60,000 units you’re bankrupt.

Auto production lines 1 per hour = 2080
Auto production lines 30 per hour = 62,400
You're bankrupt?

No. Bankruptcy depends more on the financial strength of the company. Even struggling Rivian has managed to stay in business and they have NEVER sold 60,000 units/year (even combining both SUV and Pickups) in a single year. And they don't have any profitable models like the Models 3&Y to sustain them.

Bankruptcy is dependent upon all models sales and profitability over time, not the volume of one model for one year. You have presented a fake, overly simplistic and overly-dramatic narrative that has little real meaning. This is not how the auto industry works.
 


HaulingAss

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The disappointing thing is that Tesla's original goal was to make the Cybertruck both great AND affordable. Elon spelled this out explicitly in a 2019 interview:

So where is the pricing now? Around the Model S and Model X level.
If you are talking about the best-selling trim, the Dual Motor Cybertruck, you obviously haven't priced Models S and X lately, both have significantly more expensive entry-level prices.

The Dual Motor Cybertruck price is a little high on an absolute basis, but it's still a pretty good value for everything you get. I would say a bigger problem is the state of the economy (coupled with the higher price point). I would venture that Cybertruck sales will bottom in Q1, the slowest sales quarter of the year and pick up through 2026. If the economy strengthens, the results could be surprising.
 
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YDR37

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If you are talking about the best-selling trim, the Dual Motor Cybertruck, you obviously haven't priced Models S and X lately, both have significantly more expensive entry-level prices.
Tesla's pricing for the S and X is a moving target. Since the CT was introduced in late 2023, the S and X have been priced both above and below the $79,990 starting price for the AWD. Consider the April 2024 pricing, for example:
The basic version of the Model S now costs $72,990 and its plaid variant $87,990. The Model X base variant now costs $77,990 and its plaid variant is priced at $92,900.
So historically, the AWD CT was priced like an S/X. However, since 2024, Tesla has hiked S/X prices by an impressive $22,000. So yes, It's true that currently the S and X do have higher starting prices than the AWD CT. It should be acknowledged that those prices do include FSD (which alone would add $8K to the cost of an AWD CT), and other perks like free Supercharging.
 
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Jager

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Truck owners are probably the most conservative car-buying demographic out there. The most likely to embrace anti-EV dogma. The least likely to objectively consider an EV of any sort. And particularly disinclined to accept a vehicle that looks radically different from what they think of as a proper truck.

Ironically, Elon's dalliance with DOGE and Donald didn't sway this particular demographic against the CT. If anything, they came to a grudging, reluctant respect for both Tesla and Elon. It's just that they never were going to buy an EV anyway.

The people Elon upset were the opposite side of the political spectrum... what largely had been his historical, "natural" demographic.

A lot of us - from Elon on down - were blinded by the number of pre-production reservations for the CT. In retrospect, it was naive to expect that a truck costing this much, rejected by the demographic that historically has bought trucks (because it's an EV), that looked so radically different, would ever sell in high numbers.

Doesn't matter how brilliant it is if you can't get past those first three headwinds.
 

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She's still unemployed. We have to pay for daycare which is painfully expensive.
Why not just be a stay at home Mom and get the best deal of all time?
 

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MInnesooooooota

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Well, it is clear that EV pickups are not ready for prime time.

The battery tech is just not there yet. Trucks do inefficient things like tow stuff. EVs are based on being very efficient. So there is a clash between the fundamentals of EVs and the fundamentals of trucks.

And unless there is a fundemantal battery tech breakthrough, the slow but steady improvment in battery tech will take 5 to 10 years to be good enough for a truck.

That said, a "city truck" done well would get traction. I liked the idea of a 40K Lightning and the 40K Cyber. At that price point it is replacing a runaround car.

My wife prefers driving a pickup - being high up. We need to haul stuff on occasion.

But I knew even before launch that an EV truck was not going to haul the big boat to the cabin. You wouldn't even make it between Superchargers in most areas. And no way to charge with a boat attached anyway.

So POOF, EV truck dreams are dead.
 

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Well, it is clear that EV pickups are not ready for prime time.

The battery tech is just not there yet. Trucks do inefficient things like tow stuff. EVs are based on being very efficient. So there is a clash between the fundamentals of EVs and the fundamentals of trucks.

And unless there is a fundemantal battery tech breakthrough, the slow but steady improvment in battery tech will take 5 to 10 years to be good enough for a truck.

That said, a "city truck" done well would get traction. I liked the idea of a 40K Lightning and the 40K Cyber. At that price point it is replacing a runaround car.

My wife prefers driving a pickup - being high up. We need to haul stuff on occasion.

But I knew even before launch that an EV truck was not going to haul the big boat to the cabin. You wouldn't even make it between Superchargers in most areas. And no way to charge with a boat attached anyway.

So POOF, EV truck dreams are dead.
EV trucks are a good purchase/replacement for ICE as long as you're not towing. I know for my family and I a CT would be perfect. We can take it on road trips (not towing anything), camp in a cybertent, load our motorcycles in the back. Then use it as the family daily driver and hauler. EV trucks are a perfect lifestyle/outdoor truck. That's why I see a ton of Rivians around here in Central Oregon (outdoor paradise).
 

SCTesla

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EV trucks are a good purchase/replacement for ICE as long as you're not towing. I know for my family and I a CT would be perfect. We can take it on road trips (not towing anything), camp in a cybertent, load our motorcycles in the back. Then use it as the family daily driver and hauler. EV trucks are a perfect lifestyle/outdoor truck. That's why I see a ton of Rivians around here in Central Oregon (outdoor paradise).
There are less than 50k Rivian R1T sold, ever.

It's not just about towing, but price. BEV trucks are as expensive as high level trim ICE trucks, which also don't sell in massive numbers.

People look at the pickup market and see a ton of sales, but most are base or middle trim.

I don't think it's just about towing, range, but also perception of EVs. The Pickup buyers, historically, are the most against them. Plus, all but the F150L have pretty polarizing looks, with the CT being the most polarizing.

Regardless, I don't think BEV trucks will be huge movers in the US until prices are cheaper than ICE trucks and have all features and functionalities. That will push people beyond their irrational hatred of EVs.
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