Tesla’s Cybertruck and Roadster will be delayed to “hopefully next year,” the company’s CEO Elon Musk said in an earnings call Wednesday. The announcement confirms earlier reports that the electric pickup truck would miss its earlier production date of late 2022.
“If we were to introduce new vehicles, our total vehicle output will decrease,” Musk said. “We will not be introducing new vehicle models this year.”
When asked about what else is holding back the Cybertruck besides battery production, Musk said that the pricing and what people are willing to pay for the included tech is the main issue “How do we make the Cybertruck affordable?” he said. The Cybertruck originally had a starting price of $39,900 at its unveiling event in 2019.
Musk was also asked about the availability of a $25,000 electric car, to which he responded “We are not currently working on a $25,000 car.” Musk has been promising a low-cost Tesla for years, based in part on the company’s work to bring down the costs of battery production.
“At some point we will. We have enough on our plate right now,” Musk added. “Too much frankly.” Near the end of the call, Musk was asked about how Tesla plans to sell more cars without a more affordable option — to which Musk responded “If the price of our cars do not change at all, we would still sell all that we can make.”
Indications that the Cybertruck would be delayed first emerged last August, when the online reservation page was changed and then later withdrawn from the site. Musk said in early 2021 that few trucks would be delivered to customers by the end of that year, but no deliveries were ever made.
The Cybertruck has already gone through some changes since the reveal — including the addition of a comically oversized single windshield wiper, traditional folding mirrors, and invisible door handles that a leaked walkaround video this week provided a closer look of.
Musk also tweeted last night that he was driving the latest prototype.
Been driving latest Cybertruck prototype around Giga Texas. It’s awesome!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 26, 2022
wazup.