Tesla Cybertruck Production Will Be ‘Bumpy’ Like Model 3 Says Edmunds
The Tesla Cybertruck is on display at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing facility during the “Cyber … [+]
Cybertruck production will be challenging, reminiscent of the painful ramp of the Model 3, says Edmunds.
Despite an uptick in sightings of the Cybertruck on car carriers, don’t expect instant mass production and customer deliveries. Musk has made this amply clear. Most recently in an August 23 tweet, saying it is “an extremely difficult product to build” — essentially repeating what he said at the annual shareholder meeting in May.
“There will be numerous questions about the production of the truck given Elon Musk’s hints at the difficulties, which is reminiscent of the Model 3 launch — a notoriously bumpy time span for Tesla,” Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of insights, told me in an email.
Indeed, Tesla almost went bankrupt during the initial phase of Model 3 production, CEO Elon Musk said.
While Tesla is in a much stronger financial position now than it was then, the inherently hard-to-make Cybertruck could drag the company back down into “production hell,” as Musk referred to the Model 3 ramp.
That means low production numbers for the truck made from ultra-hard cold-rolled stainless steel.
“Cybertruck is not expected to be a volume Tesla product but rather one whose key role is to breathe excitement into the brand,” Caldwell said.
Wait…Cybertruck fail?
With a Cybertruck delivery event imminent, some believe Tesla is setting itself up for failure. One report even going so far to say a redesign is necessary.
But underestimating Musk is not a smart strategy, as history has shown. Moreover, the Cybertruck could attract a whole new category of buyers that the market never saw coming.
“The Tesla Cybertruck will occupy a slightly different niche than where the current truck players sit,” said Caldwell. “Cybertruck will definitely attract non-truck owners,” she added.
So, the Cybertruck doesn’t necessarily have to slay the Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado to succeed, however polarizing it is.
“The truck is polarizing, inclusive of both fervent fans and very vocal haters,” Caldwell said.
Source: www.forbes.com
