The Tesla Cybertruck has finally arrived, but it feels like a bait-and-switch. While the design is largely faithful to the truck that was introduced in 2019, prices have skyrocketed and some of the specs aren’t as impressive as originally promised.
Without further ado, let’s fire up The Wayback Machine and see what Tesla was saying on December 1, 2019. As you can see, the single motor variant was projected to cost $39,900 and have 250+ miles (402+ km) of range.
Fast forward to today and the base rear-wheel drive version is slated to arrive in 2025 with a price tag of $60,990. That’s $21,090 more than originally announced, or nearly the price of a Ford Maverick. Despite a staggering price increase of nearly 53%, Tesla is still targeting a range of around 250 miles (402 km). The truck should also be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 6.5 seconds, which is roughly on par with the original estimate.
More: The Tesla Cybertruck Is Bulletproof, Faster Than A 911 While Towing A 911, And Costs $60K
Tesla Cybertruck pricing from 2019
The dual-motor all-wheel drive variant was originally said to cost $49,900. That number has now shot up $30,090 to $79,990.
That’s a huge jump, but the specs are better than expected. In particular, the range climbs from an estimated 300+ miles (483 km) to around 340 miles (547 km). Furthermore, Tesla says 60 mph (0-96 km/h) comes in 4.1 seconds which meshes with the original estimate of under 4.5 seconds. The mid-level variant is also set to have a towing capacity of 11,000 lbs (4,990 kg), which is up from 10,000+ lbs (4,536+ kg).
What Tesla is saying now
That brings us to the tri-motor variant, which is now known as the Cyberbeast. Tesla really missed the mark here as the truck was initially planned to cost $69,900, have 500+ miles (805+ km) of range, and a towing capacity in excess of 14,000 lbs (6,350+ kg).
The model is now expected to cost $99,990 and have a range of 320 miles (515 km). Even the most hardcore Tesla fan would have to call that terrible as the price shot up $30,090 while the range fell at least 180 miles (290 km). The bad news doesn’t end there as the towing capacity is now said to be a more modest 11,000 lbs (4,990 kg).
On the bright side, the Cyberbeast is expected to rocket from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 2.6 seconds “with rollout subtracted.” That’s on par with earlier estimates of less than 2.9 seconds.
With all that being said, it’s important to note some of the numbers are estimates so things could change. Tesla has also mentioned a “Range Extender” for the top two trims, although specifics are hazy aside from a range of 470+ miles (756+ km) for the mid-level variant.
