Tesla Cybertruck to go into ‘volume production’ in 2023

Tesla’s controversial Cybertruck will go into ‘volume production’ in 2023, according to CEO Elon Musk.

Addressing shareholders at Tesla’s annual meeting last week, Musk said ‘several supply chain shortages’ have likely delayed outputs of the electric pick-up beyond 2022, with prices set for around $40,000 to $70,000 in the US.

It comes after the electric car company boss said last year that the vehicle is unlikely to make it past regulators to go on sale outside the United States, though estimated a production capacity of up to 300,000 units per year.

Cybertruck delayed to 2023: Several ‘supply chain shortages’, including the lack of computer chips, has likely pushed production of the stainless-steel-bodied utility vehicle beyond the end of next year, Tesla boss Elon Musk said last week

The stainless-steel-bodied utility vehicle, which also features bulletproof glass and a claimed maximum towing capacity in excess of six tonnes, is arguably the brand’s most eagerly-anticipated new model yet. 

At Thursday’s meeting, Musk hinted that Tesla was on course to achieve record vehicle deliveries this year, though added that global supply-chain disruptions for computer chips remain a challenge that could delay the arrival of Cybertruck.  

Production of the company’s angular plug-in pick-up isn’t likely to begin before the end of 2022, Musk said, estimating that the company would reach ‘volume’ production on the vehicle in 2023.

‘We should be through our severest supply chain shortages in ´23,’ he said. 

‘I’m optimistic that will be the case.’  

Speaking about Cybertruck earlier this year, Musk said a shortage of batteries means each example would ‘literally cost a million dollars a piece or more’ if Tesla started producing the steel-plated vehicle in 2021.  

The top-of-the-range $70,000 Cybertruck should provide enough performance to hit 60mph from a standing start in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 130mph, while its maximum range will stand at 500 miles. However, it is unlikely to be sold outside the US, as it may struggle to meet vehicle safety regulations, especially when it comes to pedestrian protection

The top-of-the-range $70,000 Cybertruck should provide enough performance to hit 60mph from a standing start in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 130mph, while its maximum range will stand at 500 miles. However, it is unlikely to be sold outside the US, as it may struggle to meet vehicle safety regulations, especially when it comes to pedestrian protection 

When it does arrive for the US market, the range-topping example is set to cost buyers around $70,000 and feature a tri-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain and a large battery pack taken from the current Model X SUV. 

This should provide enough performance to hit 60mph from a standing start in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 130mph, while its maximum range will stand at 500 miles.

Entry models, starting at $40,000, will only be able to cover 250 miles between charges. 

The pick-up is unlikely to hit the European market due to strict regulations, especially around safety and the risk the sharp-angled and steel-covered body could cause to pedestrians in an accident.  

Musk also confirmed on Thursday that Tesla will relocate its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, though the electric car maker will keep expanding its manufacturing capacity in the Golden State.

Musk, who last year said he was moving to Texas from California, gave no timeline for the move when he addressed shareholders at Tesla’s annual meeting.

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Musk clashed with San Francisco Bay Area health authorities trying to enforce shelter-in-place orders. At the time, he threatened to relocate Tesla’s operations to Texas or Nevada.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at the company's design studio in Hawthorne, Calif. Tesla says it will relocate its headquarters from Palo Alto, Calif., to Austin, Texas, though the electric car maker will keep expanding its manufacturing capacity in the Golden State

Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at the company’s design studio in Hawthorne, Calif. Tesla says it will relocate its headquarters from Palo Alto, Calif., to Austin, Texas, though the electric car maker will keep expanding its manufacturing capacity in the Golden State

On Thursday, however, Musk cited the cost of housing in the Bay Area that has made it tough for many people to become homeowners, translating into long commutes.

‘We’re taking it as far as possible, but there’s a limit how big you can scale it in the Bay Area,’ he said. 

‘Just to be clear, though, we will be continuing to expand our activities in California. This is not a matter of leaving California.’

Musk stressed he plans to expand the company’s factory in Fremont, California, where Tesla’s Models S, X, Y and 3 vehicles are built, in hopes of increasing its output by 50 per cent. 

A week earlier, Tesla said it had delivered 241,300 electric vehicles in the third quarter of 2021, despite having wrestled with the shortage of computer chips that has hit the entire auto industry.

The company’s sales from July through September beat Wall Street estimates of 227,000 sales worldwide, according to data provider FactSet.

Third-quarter sales rose 72 per cent over the 140,000 deliveries Tesla made for the same period a year ago.

So far this year, Tesla has sold around 627,300 vehicles. That puts it on pace to soundly beat last year’s total of 499,550.

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