On Thursday, in a Twitter exchange with fans, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that there is “always some chance” his compan’s forthcoming Cybertruck will “flop”. Nevertheless, Musk intends to keep the Cybertruck “production design” the same as its show car – a giant metal trapezoid.
He added that he “doesn’t care” about the risk of the truck flopping, because he loves its design.
“To be frank, there is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else. I don’t care. I love it so much even if others don’t. Other trucks look like copies of the same thing, but Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future,” Musk wrote.
During the Cybertruck’s 2019 launch event, it caused a stir due to the vehicle’s unique design, and because Musk asked Tesla design leader Franz von Holzhausen to try to smash the truck’s window, which he subsequently did, though it remained intact, albeit shattered.
Within weeks of the launch, Musk said that the company saw 250,000 orders for the Cybertruck. In September at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting and Battery Day event, Musk disclosed that Tesla had received so many Cybertruck orders that the company stopped counting. “The orders are gigantic,” he said, ”… well over half a million orders. I think maybe six hundred thou— it’s a lot, basically. We stopped counting.”
Tesla have no plans to put door handles on the Cybertruck. Musk also reminded fans that Tesla has decided to add a four-wheel steering system to the vehicle, which would enable it to move diagonally in a straight line or get in and out of tight spots.
“In end, we kept production design almost exactly same as show car. Just some small tweaks here & there to make it slightly better. No door handles. Car recognizes you & opens door. Having all four wheels steer is amazing for nimble handling & tight turns!” Musk wrote.
