Tesla often makes the news for various reasons, including CEO, Elon Musk's controversial statements and actions, although this time the conversation surrounds the size of the Tesla Cybertruck. While not yet available to buy generally, this is one vehicle that consumers are keen to know more about, especially due to its unorthodox and futuristic design.
In 2019, the Elon Musk and car designer Franz von Holzhausen announced the Tesla Cybertruck. While the truck sports a futuristic look in general, it also comes with many less common features, including the fact that it is made with bulletproof materials. Even though in the initial reveal, the glass infamously cracked. Comedian, Jay Leno, is a car enthusiast and currently hosts the Jay Leno’s Garage show on CNBC and recently got an opportunity to check the Cybertruck out.
In a recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Leno drove the Cybertruck around with Musk as a passenger and together, they discussed the futuristic vehicle and Musk’s other ventures. During the segment, Musk told Leno that he wants the production car to be better than the show car. With this in mind, Musk explained that there would be a change to the size of the truck by scaling down the proportions by five percent so that it can fit in a garage. However, on Twitter, Musk told a Tesla Cybertruck fan that reducing the size by as little as three percent would make the vehicle too small.
Smaller Cybertruck An Unrealistic Tesla Goal?
Musk's Tweet alluded to the idea that they may release a smaller Cybertruck at some point in the future. However, it is important to point out that Tesla will not sell the futuristic vehicle until 2021. Despite the late release date, there is a significant amount of pre-orders for the vehicle with plenty eager to drive it, despite the odd design. Although it may see a lot of support from vehicle enthusiasts, self-driving vehicles may need to be regulated, given that cars using the auto-pilot feature are still raising concerns. In addition, this vehicle may still need work done in order to become street legal.
The clip from Leno’s show is proof that Musk wants a vehicle that is slightly smaller; however, Musk’s Tweet suggests that this goal might not be reached anytime soon. Basically, the futuristic vehicle that Tesla will sell is probably going to resemble the vehicle that audiences currently see. With the amount of projects Musk has on his plate, there is always the possibility that other projects may take priority and this could further impact on how long a smaller Cybertruck takes to get through development. Musk’s personal life may also take priority in the immediately future, considering he and Grimes recently had a baby. Not to mention, much of the world is currently on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, and this may continue to add to the delay.
Overall, it could take a long time for Tesla to make a smaller Cybertruck, and even if the company does, von Holzhausen would likely design it to look a bit different, possibly causing the futuristic truck to lose some of its iconic features.
Source: CNBC