When it comes to utes, payload and towing capacity are king.
The ability to deflect projectiles? Generally it’s lower on the list of priorities, but no one told Tesla that.
This Cybertruck has been snapped running around wearing battle scars that Tesla CEO Elon Musk says came from a Tommy Gun.
“We emptied the entire drum magazine of a Tommy gun into the driver door Al Capone style. No bullets penetrated into the passenger compartment,” Mr Musk tweeted.
BREAKING: Cybertruck seen on the highway potentially gone through bullet proof testing 📐👽🤯
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 20, 2023
Seen by member of the club. pic.twitter.com/wBr9mNrLl7
Although it’s impressive, the fact the stainless steel body panels soaked up a mob-style hit doesn’t mean they’re bulletproof in the face of fire from modern weapons. If you’re an owner, we wouldn’t recommend doing your own testing to see exactly where its bulletproofing runs out.
Mr Musk has recently confirmed what experts have long suggested: that wild, angular design makes the Cybertruck “just incredibly difficult to bring to market, to reach volume, to be prosperous”.
Speaking at Tesla’s latest earnings call, Mr Musk said “we dug our own grave with Cybertruck”. He also warned investors to temper their expectations about the ute’s impact on the bottom line, as Tesla battles to ramp up production.
In July 2023, Tesla produced its first Cybertruck at its Texas plant. At that point, the brand was planning to deliver the first examples in September.
Now, it expects to deliver the first cars on November 30, 2023. It plans to build 125,000 examples in 2024, before ramping to 250,000 in 2025.
