Elon Musk: Tesla Cybertruck already has 200,000 pre-orders, Ars Technica

        

When Tesla unveiled its new pickup trucklast Wednesday, many critics blasted it as ugly and impractical. But despite these criticisms, more than 200, 00 0 people have put down a $ 100 deposit to reserve a spot in line for the new vehicle, Tesla CEO Elon Muskannouncedon Sunday.

All-electric designs have helped every Tesla vehicle stand out from its competition, but Tesla’s Cybertruck is unconventional even by Tesla’s standards. Other pickup trucks are boxy, with a square cabin in the front and a flatbed in the back. The Cybertruck has a triangular design that looks a bit like the DeLorean inBack to the Future.

The new pickup is expected to begin production in about two years. Tesla says it will start at $ 39, 900 for a model with 250 miles of range. A high-end model with 500 miles of range, three motors, and a 0 – 60 time of 2.9 seconds will cost $ 69, 900.

The signup rate for Cybertruck pre-orders – 200, 00 0 orders in four days — isn’t quite as impressive as for the Model 3 in 2016. Tesla hadreceived 150, 00 0 pre-ordersfor the Model 3 within hours of the unveiling event and had275, (0 ordersin hand a few days later.

Moreover, that comparison comes with a huge caveat: reserving a Model 3 required a $ 1, 00 0 deposit, helping to ensure that only serious customers would put down a deposit. By contrast, Tesla is only asking Cybertruck purchasers to put down $ 100 – a much lower level of commitment. So customer interest in the Cybertruck, while impressive, does not seem to be at Model 3 levels.

Interestingly, Tesla took the opposite tack when the company unveiled its Model Y SUV earlier this year: it asked for pre-order deposits of $ 2, 500. That may be a good way to gauge which customers are serious about buying a vehicle, but it isn’t a good way to generate impressive sign-up numbers. As far as I can tell, Tesla hasn’t released any statistics on Model Y pre-orders.