The Cybertruck is set to become “the Hummer of the 2020s”.
The futuristic looking truck will redefine what pickups can look like.
Tesla’s entry into the pickup market could be just what the segment needs.
Tesla is finally ready to enter the most lucrative vehicle segment in the US: pickup trucks. The long-awaited Cybertruck, coming in 2019 with a lot of fanfare and a broken window was presented will finally go into production this year. Tesla’s Cybertruck is expected to disrupt the electric pickup market — and the entire mainstream truck market — with its eye-catching design and high-tech features.
In the years since the unveiling of the Cybertruck, Tesla boss Elon Musk bit by bit divulged details about the truck. He has already announced that the Cybertruck will be able to “serve as a boat for a short time”. It should also have rear-wheel steering. It’s unclear how many of these promised features will actually make it into final production. But experts are increasingly certain that Tesla will be redefining the limits of what its cars can do.
“This is a vehicle that competes with everyone and nobody,” said Ivan Drury, an automotive analyst for car buying website Edmunds. “If the Cybertruck looks like it did when it premiered, that should be more than enough. Everything else in terms of technology and functions is just the icing on the cake”.
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Earlier this week, Musk confirmed that the Cybertruck later this year to go on sale. It will be Tesla’s first all-new product in three years. It comes at a time when both Tesla and the pickup market in general are in dire need of new ideas.
“This is an important step for Tesla to support the growing image of a very traditional car manufacturer to change,” said Drury. Tesla’s critics have accused the company of losing its “disruptor” shine over the past year — be it through outdated design or through Discounts and Other Incentives.
The Cybertruck will be the Hummer of the 2020s
The Cybertruck’s boxy and futuristic design is unlike anything the auto industry has ever seen, experts say. It is intended to become a status symbol for a very specific target group: video game enthusiasts, technology nerds, lovers of 80s films and all drivers who want to attract attention on the road.
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Developing a crazy-looking car for a new class of buyers is similar to what Hummer did in the ’90s SUVs made, says Drury. Hummer was a huge, impractical vehicle with a tank-like design that became a status symbol. He transformed a previously utilitarian SUV segment into one where automaker could still attract enthusiasts and luxury-conscious buyers.
“The Cybertruck will be the Hummer of the 2020s,” said Drury, “a car that gives people the opportunity to realize a new, bizarre dream of a vehicle.”
Why competitors should both fear and celebrate Tesla’s new pickup
If Tesla is about to redefine what a pickup truck can look like and who it’s meant to appeal to, then that’s going to be huge for the pickup market. For years, this hugely lucrative market has played by strict rules of design, performance and features to appease a fiercely loyal buyer base.
Only a disruptor like Tesla could change the rules of the game, according to Karl Brauer, senior analyst at iseecars. “This will be an extremely disruptive moment for what is normally a very stable and conservative segment of the automotive market,” Brauer said. Tesla will take over the pickup truck, which is enough on its own. And competitors should beware of that.”
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At the same time, Tesla will likely attract entirely new truck buyers — both ardent Tesla fans who have never owned a pickup truck and strident buyers wanting to be seen in a vehicle as unique as the Cybertruck, Brauer said.
That’s good for Tesla in the short term, as it guarantees buyers for this important product. At the same time, however, it is also a blessing for the entire truck market. Buying a Cybertruck could result in a customer who never cares for truck Brauer says that interested people end up test driving or buying an F-150 Lightning.
“When the Cybertruck comes out, people will reconsider their decision to buy these cars,” he said.
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