The Cybertruck saga has continued, with Tesla removing pricing and various specification details from its website.
Consumers can still place a refundable deposit – $150 in Australia – but there’s no longer an option to pre-order a specific variant.
The pre-order screen now reads, “You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in 2022.”
Before the update, which has affected all global Tesla sites, Tesla’s page for the Cybertruck listed three variants: a single-motor rear-wheel drive model, and dual- and tri-motor all-wheel drive models.
In the US, these were priced at US$39,900, $49,900 and $69,900, respectively (A$53,705, $67,165 and $94,085).
This pricing always seemed unusual as the considerably smaller Model 3 starts at US$36,940 (A$49,714) in rear-wheel drive Standard Range Plus guise.
The Cybertruck page also no longer includes a specification list. Previously, this included key details on the vehicle such as 0-60mph times, range figures and towing capacity for each variant.
The new ute was already expected to require significant changes in its transition to production, and it’s now looking like some of the previously confirmed technical details will change.
Additionally, Cybertruck production has continued to be delayed.
“This year has been just a constant struggle with parts supply. So just to be clear, if we had five extra products, we would not change our vehicle output at all because we were just basically limited by multiple supply chain shortages, so many times, not just chips,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this month.
“… We’ve got to have enough otherwise, it’s pointless. So I think most likely what we will see is Cybertruck stock production in the next year and then reach volume production in 2023.”
Production of the range-topping tri-motor was meant to start first, with its less expensive, less powerful siblings to follow shortly afterwards.
The Cybertruck has already been beaten to production by the more conventional looking R1T from rival US startup Rivian, while the GMC Hummer EV enters production later in 2021, while the Ford F-150 Lightning is in pre-production.
The Cybertruck is slated to enter production at Tesla’s new factory in Austin, Texas, where the company recently moved its headquarters.
Musk already signposted almost 12 months ago the Cybertruck would receive changes, confirming the Cybertruck would get some “improvements” before it’s revealed and telling investors on an earnings call “there’s like a lot of small improvements compared to what was unveiled”.
“I think it’s going to be better than what we showed,” he said.
The updated Cybertruck design is expected to have a more level character line running along its side, and a window sill that sits more flush with the window glass.
With its huge body and distinctive angles, Musk has previously said the Cybertruck could be followed by a more conventional pickup truck if sales are slow.
He has already confirmed the Cybertruck, at least in its original form, doesn’t comply with European Union regulations and that the truck therefore won’t be a “world” model.
Originally, the range was confirmed to open with a single-motor rear-wheel drive model with 400km of range, 3.4t towing capacity, and a 0-60mph (0-97km/h) time of around 6.5 seconds.
The dual-motor AWD boosted range to 480km, towing capacity to 4.5t, and cut the 0-60mph time to 4.5 seconds, while the tri-motor AWD had a claimed 800km of range, 6.4t towing capacity, and a rapid 2.9 second sprint to 60mph.
All variants had a claimed 1600kg payload.
Though the Cybertruck boasts avant garde, razor-edged styling, it’s been designed for heavy-duty work and boasts features like bulletproof stainless steel bodywork, an air compressor, and an on-board generator.
