After a 4-year wait since its unveiling, Tesla has finally started delivering the radical Cybertruck to customers in North America. The angular, stainless steel-bodied electric pickup comes in single motor (rear-wheel drive), dual motor (all-wheel drive) and tri-motor (all-wheel drive) versions producing up to 856hp and with a top range of 547km.
Pricing starts at $79,990 (?66 lakhs approx) going up to $99,990 (?83 lakhs approx) for the launch editions. Performance is supercar rivaling with 0-100kph in 2.6 seconds in top-spec tri-motor guise. The Cybertruck boasts impressive capability too with over 1,000kg payload, up to 5,000kg towing capacity and adaptive air suspension.
Tesla claims the bespoke stainless steel alloy body is bulletproof against 9mm ammunition and has immense torsional rigidity. The styling remains unchanged from the concept and is likely to be polarizing. Interiors are still not fully revealed.
First deliveries were handed over to customers at a special event by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. While order books remain closed for now, over 200,000 reservations have been made with a $100 deposit. Rivaling the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Cybertruck aims to be a better electric truck than conventional trucks according to Musk.
Separately, Tesla is close to entering the Indian market next year, starting with full imports followed potentially by local manufacturing by 2026 as talks progress between the brand and government.
