New leaked prototype images show there’s at least one Cybertruck but Tesla still has not shared a production date.
Elon Musk likes to play cat and mouse.
While press articles report delays and postponements in the production date of the highly anticipated and publicized Cybertruck, unofficial images posted to the Cybertruck Owners Club forum, followed by a video of a prototype have leaked in recent days. There is no audio, just subtitles in this video of 3 minutes and 39 seconds shot in what appears to be a factory.
Their merit is that they indicate that there is at least one pickup resembling the one presented with fanfare in November 2019 by Elon Musk.
While waiting for more information on Wednesday during Tesla’s (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc Report fourth-quarter earnings presentation, Musk fans have plenty to get excited about.
And his skeptics and rivals have ample material to redouble their criticisms. They will no doubt agree with what one of the people visible in the unofficial video says:
“Man, tell Elon he doing too much.”
The images and video suggest that Tesla’s Cybertruck has undergone several notable upgrades.
Subject to their authenticity, these photos reveal several important new features in the design of the Cybertruck, including a pair of exterior mirrors. Their rather conventional style is surprising because one would have expected Tesla to try to better integrate them into the design of the bodywork.
But, as Electrek reminds us, the rear-view mirrors of the Cybertruck have been designed so that they can be easily replaced by cameras if the legislation evolves in this direction.
Cybertruck Owners Club
Tesla’s Cybertruck Has a Gigantic Windshield Wiper
The other notable novelty spotted in the photos of the Cybertruck concerns the presence of a single gigantic windshield wiper blade capable of covering the entire surface of the imposing windshield.
We also note that the retractable door handles (as on the Model S) have completely disappeared. How to open the doors seems to have been a big topic of discussion during the filming of the video, as hinted at in the subtitles of the video.
It seems that Tesla (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc Report has decided to remove them and replace them with an automatic opening system when the driver approaches. It appears that you can tap your phone or a keycard on a specific sensor, and the door will open.
The subtitles also indicate that the pickup we see is a concept: “Well you also gotta realize it ain’t done. This is concept,” says the person showing the truck says. In other words, the version that consumers will buy should be different.
In these new images, the Cybertruck also appears with alloy wheels reminiscent of those of the Model 3. When presented, the electric pickup sported aero hubcaps that concealed the wheels.
If all these developments were to be confirmed, this new version of the Cybertruck could well prefigure the production model.
Will Tesla’s Cybertruck Ever Happen?
However, its launch is still uncertain. Reuters reported recently that Tesla would have decided to postpone the production to early 2023. The reports is backed up by the fact that Tesla has removed references to 2022 from the Cybertruck’s webpage. Elon Musk has promised to share a “product roadmap update” on Wednesday’s earnings call.
Musk unveiled the futuristic Tesla Cybertruck electric pickup truck back in late 2019 and then promised that production would begin in 2021. Last year, the release date was postponed as with all Tesla car models – the first copies of the Tesla Cybertruck were said to be available at some point this year.
The Cybertruck will be assembled at a new gigafactory currently being built in Texas.
