Tesla Cybertruck (Source: Tesla)
Tesla is now selling a base model all-wheel drive Cybertruck starting at $60k, and has cut the price of its top-end Cyberbeast model to $100k, down from $115k. The move comes as the company struggles to sell the controversial truck, which has heretofore never come close to meeting its projected volume.
Tesla has been having a rough time with the Cybertruck lately, selling at a rate of approximately 5,000 vehicles per quarter. That represents a pace of less than 10% of initial projections of over 250,000 units per year.
But, Tesla still has lots of inventory to sell. Tesla has tried various tactics like opening sales in new territories, playing the Elon Musk shell game of selling products to his other companies, and suggesting that the truck could be used as an autonomous delivery vehicle (which won’t work).
But now they’re trying a more tried-and-true tactic: charging less money.
When first announced in 2019, the Cybertruck was promised at an introductory price of $40k. But when it finally hit the road in 2023, that price was nowhere to be found, with initial deliveries consisting of a “Foundation Series” model at $120k, three times the original promised base price.
Since then, a few cheaper models have been introduced here and there, like the Cybertruck RWD which started at $70k (and then was cancelled after it didn’t sell very well).
But today’s introduction is the lowest-priced Cybertruck we’ve seen yet – and it looks like it has more features than the previous RWD, too.
While the RWD cut adaptive suspension, bed outlets (and associated Powershare V2X functionality), and the tonneau cover, the new Cybertruck AWD includes those features (well, it cuts adaptive air suspension, but has adaptive damping). It may not be the original $40k promised base price, but it looks like a big move in that direction.
Cybertruck AWD also includes two motors, front and rear, as opposed to the single rear motor of the former Cybertruck RWD. That gives it an estimated 325 miles of range, down from the 350 miles of the former Cybertruck RWD.
The different features on each trim level, per Tesla’s “compare models” link
To find out more about the new cheaper AWD Cybertruck, head on over to Tesla’s website and configurator.
In addition to this big improvement from Tesla’s previous base model Cybertruck offering, Tesla has also cut the price of the top-end Cyberbeast model by $15k. This reverses a previous $15k price hike from last August, bringing the Cyberbeast back to its previous pricing.
Is this enough to make the Cybertruck more attractive to you? Let us know in the comments.
Electrek’s Take
This is a significant improvement over the previous Cybertruck base model offering, and seems like people might actually want to buy it this time, given that it’s both cheaper and has more features than Tesla’s last attempt. If you were waiting for something better than what Tesla has out there, it might be worth looking at.
But the question still remains whether this will be enough to boost Cybertruck sales, or even if price was the thing holding them back to begin with.
There’s a lot more evidence that the thing holding back Tesla sales is Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself.
His behavior in recent years has turned many buyers away from Tesla, resulting in plummeting reputation scores for the once-revered company. His political activities have involved support for German neo-Nazis, agreeing with a defense of Hitler’s actions in the Holocaust, and many other white supremacist statements. This has driven protests against the company, embarrassed owners and pushed many customers away.
While those effects might not be seen as much in the sales of more “normal” vehicles like the Model 3 and Model Y, the Cybertruck isn’t a normal vehicle, it’s a statement vehicle. You don’t drive a Cybertruck because you just want a car, you drive one because you want to be seen driving one.
But unfortunately, that statement is heavily associated with Elon Musk and his recent distasteful political activities. A Model 3 buyer might be able to say they just wanted a car, or that they bought it “before Elon Musk went crazy,” but with a Cybertruck, the answer to one of those bumper stickers is most commonly going to be: no, you didn’t.
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