The Tesla Cybertruck was spotted over the weekend at the Michigan Formula SAE competition at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019, but almost three years after its high-profile announcement, it remains a white elephant, having been delayed multiple times for different reasons. Elon Musk has since confirmed that it will finally go on sale in 2023, but with Tesla's record of missing numerous deadlines, it won't be a massive surprise if the company blows past this deadline as well, delaying the vehicle's launch yet again.
The electric pickup truck segment is heating up with the announcement of a slew of new models that include the Chevy Silverado EV, the Hummer EV, the RAM 1500 EV, and the Rivian R1T EV, among others. In addition, last month, Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup trucks started rolling off the company's production line in Dearborn, Mich., officially making it the first mainstream, full-size electric pickup in the U.S. market.
This weekend the Cybertruck was spotted at the Formula SAE event by Redditor u/DifferentLow4875. The event, which sees talented engineers from colleges and universities across the U.S. build and race single-seat, open-wheel cars, is often used as a recruitment opportunity by various automobile manufacturers. As for the Cybertruck, it was seen rolling around the infield at the race track and was part of Tesla's recruitment drive at the event. As can be seen from the image and the embedded Twitter post below, the unit at the Formula SAE was champagne gold in color and looked relatively more production-ready than it has ever been, thanks to good rear-view mirrors and practical alloys.
Cybertruck Remains Popular Despite The Delays
The Cybertruck has perhaps been one of the most talked-about vehicles in history, thanks mainly to its unique design that makes it look like nothing that has ever rolled out of an automotive factory. However, while its design has been eye-catching, it has also been divisive, and Tesla has had to tweak the design several times over the years, both to make it more palatable to mainstream buyers as well as for regulatory compliance.
Even though the Cybertruck has a lot going for it, the multiple delays over the years mean that it has ceded the first-mover advantage to other electric truck-makers, like Rivian and Ford. Despite that, the popularity of the Cybertruck remains at an all-time high, with many people waiting with bated breath for its launch. Demand for the truck is so high that Tesla this month halted pre-orders in China and Europe to prevent itself from getting inundated with orders that it won't be able to fulfill promptly.