US automaker Tesla announced on Saturday that the first copy of its Cybertruck electric pickup truck had rolled off the production line at its mega-factory in Texas, in the southern United States. This long-awaited announcement comes four years after the presentation of its prototype.
“First Cybertruck built in Giga Texas,” the company tweeted, posting a photo showing the vehicle surrounded by dozens of people in yellow safety vests and hard hats in what appears to be a hangar.
Elon Musk, the head of Tesla and Twitter, reposted the message with the comment: “Congratulations to the Tesla team” (“Congratulations to the Tesla team”). Asked by AFP, the company was not immediately available on Saturday.
In April, the manufacturer had highlighted that the production of this pick-up was “on track” to start, as planned, during the year at its new factory in Texas.
A presentation marked by an incident
The machine with its futuristic silhouette, a kind of metal casing with rather unusual angular lines, was presented in November 2019. Its presentation caused a sensation when an employee, wanting to praise the unerring solidity of the machine, had inserted an armored window throwing a steel mace at him, squeezing a curse out of Elon Musk. A second attempt had damaged another panel.
Two days after the vehicle’s big show, Tesla said it had received nearly 150,000 pre-orders that required, and still require, a refundable first payment of just $100.
Target of 250,000 units produced each year
Since then, the development of the Cybertruck had been delayed. In June, the German newspaper handelsblatt revealed an internal company report, dated January, highlighting difficulties encountered in the Alpha version of the electric pickup truck. The latter referred to “suspension”, “body sealing”, “noise level”, “handling” and “braking”.
In May, Elon Musk had indicated that the goal was to manufacture 250,000 a year, noting that this figure could double because its price makes it accessible.
When it was launched, the Cybertruck – which can go from 0 to 100 km/h in less than three seconds, according to Tesla’s site – was going to be available in three models, $39,900 and 400 km of range for the entry-level. , up to $69,900 and 800 km of autonomy announced for the top model.
Source: BFM TV
