The Tesla Cybertruck is radical, to say the least. But despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk's vision of positioning it as futuristic and "crazy tech trends" (via Twitter), Cybertruck barely really broke away from the apocalyptic future and teleported to the present. Cybertruck has been in the news since its release in 2019 for facing several production delays, and even after two years, none of these issues seem to have been resolved.
Tesla has again delayed production of the Cybertruck, and the company now aims to start making pickup trucks in early 2023, Reuters reported. The publication notes that new changes in design and the addition of new features should be blamed on delays.
Delays, and more delays
Tesla originally planned to start producing the Cybertruck in the second half of 2021. However, as one user on Twitter discovered, the plan is advanced to 2022 by August 2021.
A month before the timeline changes caught the attention of enthusiasts and users, they placed a $100 pre-order for Cybertruck, which Tesla had cited as a "progress" in its production but declined to share any details about the actual production timeline. On Tesla's second-quarter 2021 earnings call, Tesla Engineering Vice President Lars Moravi told Electronecker that Cybertruck will enter testing later in 2021, but the company is prioritizing production of the Model Y.
Later, in 2021, when Tesla removed any references about pickup truck availability from its website, Cybertruck's production schedule experienced another slowdown. The removal meant further delays, as the latest Reuters report appears to confirm.
Tesla's new production schedule will be announced on January 26
Although Reuters only highlighted the proposed design changes as the reason for the delay, a few months ago, Elon Musk also admitted on Twitter that 2021 is a "supply chain nightmare" and he may have hinted that global semiconductor shortages are continuing. Tesla's plant in Texas, which will produce Cybertruck, is also not yet in the construction phase, which could be another reason for the renewed delay.
Musk also said he would announce the latest production schedule for all models on Tesla's next earnings call scheduled for Jan. 26. Interestingly, despite these delays, Tesla is still accepting bookings from Cybertruck. Notably, according to Electroneq, it did stop orders for model S and X outside of North America in order to be able to "expedite the delivery of existing orders."
Competitors may be ready earlier
While the launch of the Tesla Cybertruck is far away, automakers such as Ford and Chevrolet, which have a foothold in the pickup space, are stepping up production to launch electric pickups as soon as possible, perhaps even before the Cybertruck. Ford's F-150 Lightning is Tesla's Cybertruck's closest price rival and is scheduled to begin listing in 2022.
While Elon Musk acknowledges that Cybertruck's unconventional design can lead to some chances of failure, the phenomenon of regular production delays can be a bigger bane for those who are keen on exoticism.