- Elon Musk previously said Tesla would set about rebuilding the destroyed EV.
- Matthew Alan Livelsberger shot himself before an explosion ripped through the Tesla.
- It appears the listing was pulled before the Cybertruck was assigned to an auction.
The Tesla Cybertruck that was detonated outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on January 1 briefly appeared for auction yesterday before being quickly removed. It’s perhaps the last car we would have expected to see listed for sale, and it’s unclear why the auction was pulled—other than, well, the apparent fact that selling the Cybertruck would have been rather morbid.
At approximately 8:39 a.m. on January 1, U.S. Army Special Forces soldier Matthew Alan Livelsberger pulled up outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas. He had rented the truck on Turo and filled it with fireworks, camping fuel, and gas tanks. While sitting in the driver’s seat, Livelsberger shot himself, moments before the explosion. Seven people were injured, but fortunately, no innocent bystanders were killed.
Read: Musk Says Media Coverage Of Cybertruck Explosion “Sabotages” Tesla’s Image, Threatens Lawsuits
Local emergency responders and Elon Musk quickly praised the strength of the Cybertruck, noting that the stainless steel body helped contain the explosion. Shortly after the incident, Musk claimed that Tesla would “buff out the scratches and get it back on the road,” adding that the powertrain remained fully operational despite the explosion.
As reported by Jalopnik, auction photos shared on IAA show that the Cybertruck remains in the same grim condition it was in after investigators tore it apart in the wake of the accident. Initially, much of the roof, the doors, and the pillars remained in place, but they were later removed. A look inside the cabin reveals that most of it has been badly charred, and there’s simply no way of repairing this thing without replacing virtually every single part.
There’s no word on whether Tesla itself was involved in the auction being canceled, but we’d be surprised if the brand decided to rebuild the vehicle. After all, Tesla already has enough on its plate with slowing sales and a tanking stock price. However, history has shown that Musk thrives on publicity—whether good or bad—and rebuilding the vehicle used in a targeted attack could be one way to capture the public’s imagination.
