HAWTHORNE – There’s a new vehicle being added to the Tesla lineup.
The company’s CEO unveiled the Cybertruck on Thursday night at its design studio just outside of Los Angeles, California.
The Cybertruck is built with an outside shell made from what Tesla calls a “nearly impenetrable exoskeleton” with Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel and Tesla armor glass.
Musk even boasted at the launch event that it was strong enough to withstand bullets from smaller firearms and demonstrated its resistance by allowing it to be hit with a sledgehammer without leaving a mark.
The truck’s windows were not as fortunate during the demo. Tesla’s head of design, Franz von Holzhausen, threw metal balls at them causing them to crack but not shatter.
Musk reacted by saying, “Oh my… well, maybe that was a little too hard […] it didn’t go through, so that’s a plus side […] room for improvement.”
There are three different versions with different battery ranges and extra motors for more power and control.
The Single-Motor with rear-wheel drive goes 0-60 in less than 6.5 seconds with a range of 250+ miles and a towing capacity of 7,500 lbs.
The Dual-Motor with all-wheel drive goes 0-60 in less than 4.5 seconds with a range of 300+ miles and a towing capacity of 10,000 lbs.
The Tri-Motor with all-wheel drive goes 0-60 in less than 2.9 seconds with a range of 500+ miles and a towing capacity of 14,000 lbs.
The base version of the truck will start at $39,900, the next one up starts at $49,900, and the top end Tri-Motor AWD version of the Cybertruck starts at $69,900.
When ordering online, you’ll be required to fork out $100 which Tesla says is fully refundable.
Autopilot comes as standard on all versions of the Cybertruck and buyers will be able to choose the self-driving one for an extra $7,000, but that’s only available when the software comes online.
Another feature that comes as standard is the adjustable ride height. Drivers will be able to adjust the height of the truck for when they are on the highway or off-road, using an adaptive air suspension system.
Tesla says production will begin in late 2021, with the production of the Tri-Motor AWD version of the Cybertruck beginning in late 2022.
