Elon Musk recently hinted that Tesla could develop a Cybertruck for markets outside of North America to tap into demand for the pickup.
The Cybertruck first hit the streets in the United States in 2023, when Tesla delivered the vehicle to its first customers in November. However, despite various tours of the Cybertruck in Asia and Europe, Tesla announced no true plans to bring the vehicle to other markets.
There has always been talk about the size of the vehicle and whether it would be a suitable option for the narrow streets of Europe and Asia.
In December, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said to TopGear that the truck would not make it to the European market:
‘First, the pickup market in America is huge, and that’s different for you. And two: European regulations require a 3.2-millimetre rounding on protruding parts. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make a 3.2-millimetre rounding on a 1.4-millimetre stainless steel sheet.”
This brings the question of what Tesla would do to tap demand for the Cybertruck, which could potentially be sizeable in Europe and Asia. It seems the automaker would have to build some sort of alternative, perhaps a truck with smaller dimensions or even a different vehicle body style with a Cybertruck-inspired look.
Whatever it may be, CEO Elon Musk agrees that the Cybertruck needs to be developed in a different way:
Yeah
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 8, 2024
The Cybertruck is already making waves in the United States, and although it has undergone early growing pains, Tesla is ramping production considerably at Gigafactory Texas, especially in recent months:
It is important to mention that the Cybertruck was reportedly registered to someone in Germany. These are not units that were sold directly by Tesla and were likely imported by someone who could afford to buy one in North America and send the truck to the market.
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