The soap opera has been going on since November 2019. It was during this month that Tesla declared its intention to break into the electric pickup truck market with its Cybertruck. The model, which looks straight out of a 1980s science fiction film, immediately became a divisive figure, but also gave the manufacturer hope to increase its sales substantially. Almost two years later, it is still waiting.
Posted at 12:50 p.m.
The big boss of the American manufacturer, Elon Musk, confirmed last week the information obtained by Reuters about his late arrival in the arena which has gradually more and more pugilists. Tesla is now aiming to enter production in 2023. This is the second time that the start of its assembly, planned in the plant in Austin, Texas, has been postponed.
Musk clarified during a conference call with shareholders that no new Tesla models will be launched this year to ensure that the pace of production will not be affected. Like other major auto groups, Tesla has to deal with glaring supply issues revolving around semiconductors that are even more widely used in electric vehicles.
According to comments collected by Reuters, the big boss is also worried about how “he will make the Cybertruck accessible, despite the extraordinary technology it contains”. The agency had announced in January a change of direction on the characteristics of the pickup truck to ensure better competition with rivals.
Note that it was Rivian who officially won the race for the first electric van with the production launch of its R1T last September. Ford, for its part, is in the pre-production phase for its F-150 Lightning and already plans to almost double its planned assembly rate this year to 150,000 copies. General Motors will enter the game in the spring of 2023 with its recently unveiled Chevrolet Silverado. RAM signified last year wanting to launch a competitor in 2024 only.
In 2021, Tesla delivered 936,000 vehicles worldwide, a figure up sharply by 87%, despite the significant pitfalls that have arisen.