By now, everyone on this site has seen and has formulated an opinion on the Tesla Cybertruck. Now that I’ve had some to get over the shock and awe, I’ve put together a few thoughts on what the Cybertruck might actually mean for the pickup truck segment going forward. Is the Cybertruck the leading edge of a radical new direction in truck styling, or will it be a one-off, a historical oddity? Let’s take a look.
Every so often, a vehicle comes along that sets a whole new styling direction for the industry for years to come. History (and this site) are full of examples, but here are two that everyone should be familiar with.
In 1961, Lincoln introduced their new Continental. While maybe not as daring then as the Cybertruck is now, it was every bit as much of a repudiation of the existing styling zeitgeist. Instantly, the wild and crazy shapes, fins, and tri-tone paint jobs of the 1950s looked dated, replaced by a clean pressed and folded look. It is little wonder that 1960s icons like the Kennedys became associated with this car.
By the mid-1960s, the slab-sided look was everywhere: Bulbous curves and fins were out, sharp creases were in. Chrysler even went so far as to poach Elwood Engel, the designer of the Continental, from Ford to sprinkle his Continental magic on Chrysler’s Imperial line.
The square look started by the ‘61 Connie would be a surprisingly durable look (at least among US automakers), lasting a full 25 years until Ford launched the next styling revolution with the Taurus, in 1986.
Granted, the 1986 Taurus may not have been as revolutionary as the 1961 Continental (European cars like the Audi 5000 and even Ford’s own Thunderbird were signaling the aero look for several years prior to 1986), but the Taurus was a mainstream family car, and the impact on the market was about the same. The squared-off K-Cars and Luminas of the era immediately looked like the box the Taurus shipped in. Automakers caught off-guard by the Taurus scrambled to match the Taurus’ aero look, with mixed results (I’m looking at you, Chevrolet Caprice).
1994 Dodge Ram, but it could be a 2004 or 2014.
Which brings us to the current state of affairs. To say that Pickup truck styling is in a rut is a bit of an understatement: The last major styling innovation was the 1994 Dodge Ram, launched a full quarter of a century ago. The 94 Dodge introduced us to the square-jawed, big grille with Texas belt buckle badge look that continues to this day. Name one other vehicle segment that has seen no significant styling changes in the past quarter-century.
We have reached peak grille
As a result of this stagnation, manufacturers have had nowhere to go but to outdo each other with successively bigger grilles and uglier and angrier faces, until the look has become a parody of itself, much like the 1959 Cadillac had become by 1961.
Because of the gradual nature of this process (over years and decades of model changes), most people don’t even realize this is happening until someone bravely steps up with a bold new styling direction and points out that the emperor indeed has no clothes. Enter the Cybertruck.
Look, I get it. Truck manufacturers (and their buyers) are a conservative bunch. From the manufacturer’s standpoint, we are talking about what are easily the most profitable vehicles in their portfolio. Whether we choose to admit or not, a lot of buyers’ manhood (and they are mostly men) is tied up in the Marlboro Man image that is projected in their rock climbing and horse trailer towing advertisements (despite the fact that precious few buyers are actual ranch hands).
The Cybertruck says (no, screams) “Enough of that. Time for something new.”
As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, Pickups are still clinging to a design language created in the previous century. What exactly is a 21st century pickup truck supposed to be, and what should it look like? Tesla offers a strong clue.
I would argue that the paramilitary “stealth fighter” look of the Cybertruck successfully kicks aside the old urban cowboy look while not compromising the inherent manliness and toughness that attracts buyers to pickups in the first place.
It opens the door to entirely new styling directions just as much as the Continental did in 1961, and the Taurus did in 1986. But will anyone else step through that door? Exactly how long are the Cybertruck’s coattails?
It is impossible to say for sure, but if pre-orders and early attempts by hobbyists to create their own Cybertruck clones are any indication, I suspect that the next-generation F-150, Ram, and Silverado will crib more than a few lines from the Cybertruck.
I’m going to disagree. The Cypertruck will be on the fringe…perhaps some “bold” influencers will buy in with something “different”, but I think there will be a initial rush and then it will settle down to Ridgeline numbers. Again, on the fringe.
Is there a future for EV pickups? Absolutely, and I think plenty in the pickup truck using industry will buy in. Just not something this hideously looking.
I think pickup truck design has stepped back from the brink – the Ram has sold a ton and I attribute that to it’s sedate, refined design. And you picked the exact right example for trucks looking monsterously ugly. How the GM designs got by any committee remains a head scratcher, and once again there’s a rush redesign in the works.
+1
Sorry, but styling-wise it is, too, backwards-looking. Please refer to any early 70s Origami styling exercise to see what I mean. Whether it will be a success is hard to predict; Tesla has not yet dropped a brick and has its own unique following so it may still prove to be a hit. What worked for one or two supercars does not however easily transfer into something like a pickup, and as correctly stated in the article, the target crowd – assuming Musk isn’t aiming at a _typical_ Tesla buyer – hates it (that’s the impression I get on a number of forums and FB groups I’m on).
Plus, there’s the below…
Backwards, yes, but in the same way as a 1947 Studebaker “Is it coming or going?” Starlight. Personally, I’d rather have the Studebaker.
I really like the Rivian’s white-panel forward lighting array. It recalls the white-painted “chrome” trim of an old work truck without being self-consciously retro. Just needs a good selection of bright colors – not just bright red but a bright sky blue and maybe a subtly pearl take on Omaha Orange – to play that up.
This question, to me, seems premature. The Tesla Cybertruck has not yet gone into production and it can’t really be called a style leader until someone mimics it. So this is all speculative. Have we even seen any design concepts from Ford, Chevrolet, Ram, Nissan, or Toyota to indicate any mimicry? Time will be the big tell.
Besides, nobody in Pickup World began to copy the Dodge look until several years after it came out when Chrysler was selling a shit-load of them. When/If Tesla eats into the volumes of the Ford/GM/Ram contingent, then we may see some changes.
As for a type of vehicle that hasn’t undergone any significant design deviations in a quarter century, let me offer up the CUV. Okay, so it’s not quite been around for twenty-five years, but the first RAV-4 or CRV doesn’t vary substantially in its execution from that of a new one.
Totally agree with Jason. At this point the Tesla truck is nothing but a shiny bauble to attract more funding for Tesla.
As for angular design – we’ve been there, done that.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/12/wedge-wonders-the-influence-of-the-angular-era-in-automotive-design/
I think we’ll find in the coming years that the Cybertruck really is a concept car, and if it is ever produced, the design, engineering and price will probably be much different from what was promised this year.
Concept cars can be influential, to be sure, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves until we see that influence on the road.
There has been (admittedly more modest) innovation in pickup styling in the past, such as the first generation Ridgeline. The sales were disappointing enough that Honda made the new generation much more trucklike, adding concessions to practicality like a seam between the cab and the bed.
To right Jason. Can you see this thing replacing Fords F series pick ups?.
The Taurus, Continental and Ram are all pleasing to the eye. The Tesla is just stressful to look at.
I’m the target demographic for pickup trucks. I drive a pickup, my brothers drive pickups, literally every one of my friends and colleagues all drive pickups and not one of us would even consider a Cybertruck.
I think we will need to get back to you on this in five or ten years. Nobody had any idea at the time that the new postwar car most predictive of styling several years in the future was the 1947 Kaiser.
You raise an interesting question about the stagnation in the design of American pickups. Ford tried to break the pattern with the 1997 F 150 but that turned out to be a short detour rather than a change in direction.
I am personally not a fan of the look, but then I don’t like the folded-paper styling school of the 1970s either.
One big difference between the 1961 Lincoln Continental and the Tesla Cybertruck: 99% of us saw the Lincoln the day it was released to the public. All development was done behind tightly closed curtains. What we finally got to see was already in the dealer’s hidden storage and ready for the showroom. What we’re seeing from Tesla right now is what any other manufacturer would call a show car, dropping hints of what’s upcoming but nobody believes it’ll actually go into production. I hate modern car marketing, much prefer to be surprised the day it goes on sale.
Because it’s Tesla, yes, there’s a much better chance of, “what you see is what you’re getting”, but it’s still not a committed, finished product.
And gawd, that Chevrolet pickup is the worst design I’ve ever seen since the 59 Cadillac and all those broughams. It’s the Bulgemobile come to life.
That is not a picture of a Chevy pickup, that is the MD truck version which needs a bigger grill than a pickup for cooling purposes.
Just like International 1 ton trucks needed a much taller hood and grille:
Given how engineers manage to keep a 700+ hp Dodge Hellcat cool without raising its hood and grille by several feet, I’m inclined to doubt that Chevy MD “needs” that taller hood and grille.
That’s enough grille area to cool a nuclear power plant.
I, too, am uncertain about air intake, but here’s one I’m simply curious about.
With the advent of Tier 4 emissions, the dump trucks at work have gotten noticeably taller. International has stated this is to allow more room between the exhaust and floor to allow for heat dissipation during exhaust regeneration. The temperatures of the exhaust during regeneration is approaching 1000 degrees in some instances and they were concerned about this much heat in proximity to the floor boards.
Pickups in the 3/4 and 1-ton weight ratings can have diesel engines that require regeneration also. So might that be a factor in their being taller, a factor that would not be a factor with a gas powered Charger? That still doesn’t explain the odd ducks like the Ecodiesel in the Ram pickups…
What about all the diesel passenger cars?
Sounds questionable to me. It’s easy enough to shield against heat.
You are comparing apples and oranges there too, the amount of fuel burn is much much higher in a truck than a car so it produces proportionally more exhaust and is more likely to run at full load for long periods and thus produce a lot more particulates.
That IH never came with more than ~250hp. Modern trucks have much more power and also need intercoolers for the diesels to make the numbers that they now do. The IH also was never rated to pull more than 10,000lbs and modern trucks are rated for much higher in max tow configurations.
The Hellcat is only designed to put out that 700hp for short bursts. A modern truck on the other hand is intended to run at max power for long periods of time and maybe at slow speeds when that max tow rating is being put to the test up a long steep grade.
So how do all the supercars/exotics with 600+ hp manage to stay cool on the track? In actual races? And how about actual race cars?
Also, keep in mind that diesel engines throw off significantly less heat than a comparable gas engine, due to their greater thermal efficiency.
The regular pickup ain’t any better, Scoutdude.
I think the Tesla truck will be an outlier, it may not even get to production in its current form. There are many places with pedestrian impact standards and those sharp corners definitely don’t comply.
That is another reason hood ornaments have gone away, as have very pointy front ends and hidden headlights.
The Rivian truck looks much better to me too!
The photo of the Tesla out camping kind of seals the argument for me, in that I remember those camping site ads of the Aztek, back just a few short years ago.
I think this is an interesting design concept, but will not become mainstream.
The 2022 Chevy truck? Only the minimum underpass height will limit it’s growth!
***We are entering the third decade of the 21st century (not the second).
Duly noted and corrected. That really makes me feel old now!
Lol. I’m 62 and entering my 8th decade….
We’re still a full year away from the 3rd decade.
And this truck was designed by someone who has never actually used a truck for work.
I’m a truck guy, and my initial reaction to the Cybertruck was not positive. The sharp unfinished detailing and the apparent lack of headroom turned me off. But with further exposure to the look and other aspects of the design, I’m hoping that both the Cybertruck and the more conventional looking Rivian have some influence on other pickups:
– Overall cleaner design (the Conti was a good analogy here)
– New features, like the Tesla’s bed cover and tailgate ramp, and the Rivian’s cross-truck storage area.
– The Tesla’s camping options integrated with the design, not tacked-on aftermarket options.
Thanks Tom for an insightful post.
Tom:
Your comparison between modern pickup trucks and 1959 GM cars is absolutely BRILLIANT and makes perfect sense! I agree with your assessment that we’ll see a paradigm shift in half-ton pickups soon, much like the ’60 GM cars had the look of “Sorry, folks. We know we went too far last year.” I suspect we’ll see something between the Chevy Avalanche and the Honda Ridgeline as the new half-ton. The folks who use trucks as trucks have largely moved to 3/4-ton models anyhow.
As for the Cybertruck… well, Mr. Musk being who he is, I doubt we’ll see something exactly like this in production. The company has been known to do wild things just to get people talking.
But probably minor adjustments… put more of a break at the cowl to distinguish the hood from the windshield and soften the roof peak at the B-pillar, and you start to get close to the Avalanche/Ridgeline mashup I described.
I’d say the opposite is true that the increased capacities of 1/2 ton pickups have caused more fleets to give up 3/4 tons in lieu of 1/2 tons. There was a time when all the company trucks for construction companies were 3/4 ton and above and now the bulk of the trucks on job sites and running around town with company logos are 1/2 ton crew cabs, at least in my area.
It’s worth mentioning that the grille height on HD trucks is for the most part functional and necessary. There’s a reason the 1997 F-150/light-duty 250 styling wasn’t adopted for the 1999 Super Duty.
So how did they manage to get by without raising the hoods and putting in giant tall grilles back in the old days?
Modern styling is generally not good. The parallel to me is the 58 GM cars, where a generally box body attempts to be hidden by tons of chrome add-on accents. Today it’s creases and plastic vents. The Tesla truck to me is nothing more than being weirdly different and “futuristic” to appeal to the niche buyers desire to be seen as “different” and “futuristic” .
Modern trucks, without an exception, are fugly. Even Toyota and Nissan have succumbed to the virus. The last good looking trucks were the late 90s F-150s and the ‘classic’ Sierra Classic/Silverado Classic GMT400s that stopped being made at about the same time.
Maybe someone will make a classic homage to the old P/U styling just like the PT Cruiser, SSR/HHR and VW New Beetle.
Nice analysis, and I quite agree with your premise. I am convinced that the Cybertruck will have an influence, possibly quite strong. Trucks have been in a stylistic dead-end alley for way too long, and this represent a fresh new approach to what a truck can look like.
I think it’s way too early to tell what influence it will have and how successful it will be, as most ardent fans of the design were already rabid Tesla/Musk fans to begin with, while general public opinion has been rather negative. I have been a fan of the Cybertruck’s styling from day 1, but never had I once thought of it as a pickup truck. And therein lies the problem, the 94 Ram was groundbreaking only in that the front end shape went from boxy to curvy, everything else was perfectly conventional pickup truck about it, trucks had sculpted sides before it, trucks had separate beds on ladder frames before it, trucks had a mix of gasoline/Diesel engines before it and trucks had rugged aspirations in their styling before it. The Cybertruck would throw away or redefine almost all of those aspects the 94 Ram never dared to, and there may just be good reason it didn’t. Pickup trucks aren’t style leaders.
And I’d say modern pickup styling devolved away from the 94 Ram, including the current Ram, to the point that they’re now exactly as boxy as they were in the mid 80s, but supersized with modernized jukebox styling for the grillework. The 94 Ram looks more refreshing now in nearly 2020 than it did in 94
Yeah I don’t think this will have much influence, it just doesn’t work as a working pickup and isn’t adaptable to different cab and bed configurations. Fact is one of the reasons that pickups sell so well is that they have multiple cab and bed configurations that make them usable as true work tools and the family truckster. So the mfgs that actually sell trucks in volume aren’t going to go away from a separate cab and bed, nor will they do something that will make it so difficult to offer different cab configurations or transfer many of those basic parts to a full size SUV.
I would love to see GM build a truck with styling aspects from the old square bodies of the late 70’s/80’s sans the rust spots. Or even the older early 70’s trucks. I’m so tired of of the current look and the Cybertruck is not where I’d like to see them go.
The Taurus simply followed Ford design already in the market place it didnt lead it followed Ford corporate design, the Cybertruck is going nowhere as for most utility purposes its useless, theres no open bed to carry out sized items, without a cab chassis configuration where does the dropsider deck go, its vapourware at its finest.
Looks like a Pontiac Aztek, especially in the side and rear views.
Not sure how it can tow a 5th wheel either.
Pickup truck designs of the last 100 years are all based on the ‘vehicle’ they replaced; a buckboard wagon with an enclosed area for the muleskinner, and an engine replacing the equine. Just because it’s what we’re used to seeing doesn’t mean it’s the best design for the job. It’s just the thing the car manufacturers offered. The more I look into the functional design of the Cybertruck, the more I like it. It has features I’ll use, and enough range to be useful. It’s the first electric vehicle I’ve considered owning, and I’ve put my deposit down. FWIW, I’ve owned many different models & brands of trucks.
Does the Cyber truck predict a shift in styling? Perhaps.
Does duct taping a banana to a wall a new shift in art? Perhaps.
It’s difficult to see the beginning of trends.
I just know neither will be seeing any of my money.
this is my version of the Tesla Cybertruck…
Maybe it would be better if looks this way, what do you think…?
(see image below).
Definitely an improvement. In fact, it kind of reminds me of a Hollywood sci-fi rebody of the old Chevy Avalanche.
Yup, that’s more like it.
I think the Tesla Cybertruck is a one off. Since it’s a concept vehicle and not a pre-production design it doesn’t meet current crash and pedestrian safety regs nor is it a readily manufacturable vehicle. I predict that the production version will have a higher more conventional looking hoodline and lighting for compliance reasons and also a more conventional body structure.
I doubt Tesla’s styling will influence other truck makers since they currently need room for engines and are also wedded to French pre-dreadnought “fierce face” for at least another product cycle. Also Tesla’s nearest competitor Rivian has opted for a relatively conventional look.
Now that the initial shock has worn off, I’m warming up to this design some. I have some friends and family who love it; I don’t, but I appreciate how daring and different it is from the current pickup truck design ethos. People who fret about it being too polarizing or not practical enough as a truck are missing the point. Tesla isn’t trying to upend the F-150 here; the targeted buyers have likely never owned a truck before. Tesla doesn’t have enough manufacturing capacity to meet demand for the vehicles they already build, so a relatively low-production truck makes some sense; it doesn’t have to appeal to the masses.
The single most horrid and repulsive looking vehicle of all time. Looks to have been “designed” by an elementary school kid with a pencil and ruler in about 15-30 seconds. And, appears to be designed to appear as angry, hostile and completely anti-social. A complete abomination of transportation design. A one-word description would be: FUGLY!!! Or, ugly as sin! Hey, I’m keepin’ it real and being honest and pulling no punches. Certainly hope to NEVER see something like that on the road.
Last, but not least, there appears to be completely no practicality to something labeled as a truck. Just simply an ugly-designed vehicle. Probably designed to be polarizing, and thus to elicit either a love it or hate it response. Personally can’t say even one kind word about that disgusting-looking thing.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. If this thing makes production as it is, and sells in meaningful numbers, it just confirms to me that people’s judgement has gone down the sewer.
Most, if not all, vehicles these days appear to have been designed by monkeys with computers. That Tesla truck had to be designed by an angry monkey with irritable bowel syndrome on a Commodore 64 computer.
As Tesla appears attempting to skip forward a decade or two of design evolution, it doesn’t look natural in most settings. The design is sterile and cold for no reason. Unless that was their intent? It looks out of place in nature. In both outdoors and urban settings, it looks very military.
I don’t see it appealing to women. It might appeal to gamers, those with a military fetish, or those that want something that makes them stand out.
It just appears trying so hard to be different, but for gimmicky marketing reasons, not genuine advanced design for a reason. As it is too polarizing.
In his article, Paul Niedermeyer pointed out the parentage of the Cybertruck Giugaro’s Maserati Boomerang.
In France, a link was also made between the Cybertruck and a very famous italian design from Marcello Gandini, head of Bertone.
Namely the Citroën BX.
Of course, it was mockery.
Yet, there is some kind of parentage between the two cars.
Like the Cybertruck, the BX has a polarizing wedge shaped design seldom seen on mainstream cars.
When it was issued, it was very different from anything else on the road.
Moreover, it belonged to a once very competitive market (D-segment / mid-size cars), where conservative designs were thought to be better sellers. Aside from Ford’s Sierra, every other maker stuck to traditional notchback sedans (Opel Ascona, Peugeot 305, Audi 80, Renault 18…).
In spite of its polarizing design, the BX sold very well, probably reaching to customers far beyond Citroën’s usual scope.
But did it left a legacy, such as the Continental or the Taurus ? Not so much.
Maybe the Cybertruck will be a hit, but I’m not so sure it will let some cues in automotive design.
Well I don’t think the BX was THAT avantgard, when the BX was introduced you had other “square” cars like the Golf/Rabbit or the Opel Ascona/Vauxhall Cavalier around. The somewhat similar Volvo 480 was already well into the development stage by then. The BX of course combined traditional Citroen qualities (pneumatics) with reliability and relative ease of maintenance and, without doubt, was the most comfortable car in its class which helped sales.
When my son was young, we made a couple of those open-wheeled Derby cars for his Cub Scout event. We worked hard shaving and smoothing the edges. Who knew that all we had to do was take a wood block, make a couple of cuts with a Skilsaw and paint it silver to be the future. Job done in five minutes.
I want Tesla to succeed, but that thing is just lazy and dumb looking, sorry.
It’s early days, but I’m inclined to think ‘yes’. It depends of course on how sales go, but if they sell the numbers that are currently reserved and it lives up to its price-and-spec hype, it could make other trucks start to look like the overwrought, 100-year-old designs that they basically are.
As Sandy Munro has suggested, the Cybertruck’s number one design characteristic could well be its ‘masculinity’, not a bad quality to project in the truck market especially combined with those specs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of police departments buy them – in the interests of sustainability, of course!
There’s a big difference between the Cybertruck and the examples of new design directions that Tom chose. Rather than refining the established approach to designing a vehicle, It effectively screws up established design.
While undoubtedly influential, the Continental and the Taurus followed the best practice of the European designers, and both came at a time when American design had left the international mainstream. Both issued a clarion call to do away with excess and return to simplicity.
The Dodge Ram was different. While a clean design (and therefore a good design IMHO), it introduced a detail not seen before (the raised hood/dropped fenders) onto a familiar silhouette. You could say it was a return to forties aesthetics, recalling the postwar Dodge trucks and the way they carried the fender line through into the doors.
Tesla’s truck is a totally different shape for a pickup. Is it practical? I doubt it. It’s dramatic, I’ll grant you that, but it’s compromised. Headroom in the rear of the cab? Forward view out from under that roofline? Undoubtedly some ‘dedicated followers of fashion’ would buy one, but it’s different for the sake of being different, rather than different in a better way.
Very interesting article. I agree with many of the commentors above about how truck design has gone through a dead end in recent years. But what’s the functional reason for a truck cab roof that mimics a camping tent turned sideways?
I think it might signal a break between working trucks, which will remain as they are, and suburban/city trucks that just have to look cool. There’s no reason most desk workers’ pickups can’t dispense with separate cab and bed or ladder frames….they haul some potting soil once a year.
I think the Cybertruck is Teslas opening bid, not their final offer. Surely they are paying attention to all the commentary on all the websites to learn more about truck buyers and their perceived needs and desires. And, they have to be studying the typical marketing issues of who buys and why, who uses how and why, who is happy, etc.
Whatever the final offering looks like I expect it will be overwhelmingly innovative.
The major car companies are facing a huge problem in that pickups are really all they have that are profitable. And, the Innovators Dilemma has to be keeping management up at night. The current products are sort of at the end of their life cycle but the next round of innovations could destroy their current business.
In case anyone is interested here are two links on the subject:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovator's_Dilemma
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction
What about the Aston Martin Bulldog?
Cybercoupe?
Happy New Year!
Interesting analysis. Like other’s have said, it’s probably too early to predict if the Cybertruck will have a major influence on truck design. I am in the prime pick-up truck buying demographic, and I have a lot of family, friends and colleagues who drive modern trucks. There is not one of these people that I know if who even remotely thinks the Cybertruck is something they’d be interested in. That said, this truck may be something that brings a new less conservative buyer into buying a pickup.
“Whether we choose to admit or not, a lot of buyers’ manhood (and they are mostly men) is tied up in the Marlboro Man image that is projected in their rock climbing and horse trailer towing advertisements (despite the fact that precious few buyers are actual ranch hands).”
This is an interesting comment. The image a pickup projects of ones ruggedness and manliness is often a factor in why many purchase trucks. I think the Cybertruck still offers this ruggedness, but in a different form. Whether or not it will be accepted though only time will tell. Even if it doesn’t get full accepted, it may still have a influence on styling. Look at the 61-69 Continentals. They were never big sellers, but clearly influenced the styling direction of Cadillac and others.
In any case, I do hope that trucks today tone it down in the styling department sooner than later. I for one would gladly buy a boring old boxy styled truck if they were available, but I am far from the “typical customer.” I am not holding my breath we’ll be going back to more conservative styling of the past anytime soon.
Elon Musk has obviously been smoking way too much pot to create such an atrocity. That cybertruck looks like a mid century Eichler home on wheels. It’s just ugly. Ugly, gross, ugly. The entire design reminds me of a comedy act gone bad. I sincerely hope the cybertruck fails. I really do. When Ford, GM and RAM come out with an all electric pick up Tesla’s cyber-dump will fall flat.
The truck is neither new nor even a well-done version of the origami school – more origami done AT school – but I believe it will have an influence. It suits the times. Cold, stainless, hermetic, unsociable, stealth bomber. Ready for the Rapture, maybe.
The Continental analogy is a fine one, in US terms. It refined existing concepts from elsewhere, took current Outsized futurist trends and shaved the excess. Today, it could be argued that this Tesla takes the many clues of war-machine in modern styling and refines that into the entire shape.
My first thought was the Cybertruck will never sell. It isn’t a practical pickup. In fact it’s not a pickup at all. It’s a hatchback. The Lincoln Blackwood was more of a pickup. I suspect the ’61 Conti has more space and a greater payload.
But then this thought hit me; how many of today’s pickups are actually USED as a pickup? I say a small percentage. Most have 4 doors, acres of leather and all kinds of ridiculous accoutrements, and have probably never hauled anything more than sailboat fuel.
The Cybertruck may attract that type of owner.
I’ll keep my ’92 F-150, thank you.
Three and a half years later and the Cybertruck still hasn’t shipped. It’ll have an influence on the young generation, though, even if it never does – you can’t buy one from Musk but you can buy one from Mattel.