A Year After Tesla's First Cybertruck Deliveries, The Truck Has A Long Way To Go To Meet Elon Musk's Goals

EV giant Tesla Inc. TSLA started delivering the Cybertruck to customers in the U.S. a year ago on Nov. 30, 2023.

Deliveries Through The Year: According to data from automotive research company Kelley Blue Book,  Tesla sold 16,692 Cybertrucks in the third quarter in the U.S., trumping EV trucks from rivals including the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T, to become the third-best-selling EV behind Model Y and Model 3.

From the start of the year through the end of September, the company delivered 28,250 Cybertrucks, outselling Tesla’s other luxury vehicle offerings such as Model S and Model X.

The company also started delivering the vehicle to customers in Mexico and Canada this year and production achieved a positive gross margin in the third quarter.

Cybertruck Pricing: The Cybertruck is presently available in two variants. The lower-priced all-wheel drive variant starts at $79,990 and the higher-priced Cyberbeas variant at $99,990.

However, during its unveiling in November 2019, Tesla said it would have three variants of the truck with the entry-level single-motor, rear-wheel-drive (RWD) version starting at $39,900, the dual motor all-wheel drive variant projected to begin at $49,900 and the top tier tri-motor all-wheel drive at $69,900.

As deliveries began, however, the prices were higher, making it a premium EV choice popular among celebrities.

Upward But Below Expectations: While the growth in deliveries of Cybertruck is on an upward trajectory, it falls short of Tesla CEO Elon Musk‘s expectations. The CEO has previously said that the company is aiming to make up 250,000 Cybertrucks in 2025. The vehicle, he then said, has demand but is production-constrained owing to its unusual design.

The company does not divulge model-wise delivery and production numbers. However, the company currently has an installed annual vehicle capacity of about 125,000 units only at its gigafactory in Texas, or half of Musk’s production goal for the next year.

While a third and cheaper variant of Cybertruck is currently not listed on the company’s website, company engineer Wes Morrill said in August that the variant has not been canceled but instead may be available later. A cheaper variant may help drive the delivery numbers of the stainless steel truck higher.

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