Let me start by asking one question: what do you know to be a truck? Do you state what it is, or do you define it by its characteristics? Many people associate the words “brawn,” “power,” and a “get stuff done” attitude. Well, on November 21, 2019, at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, Chairman and CEO of Tesla Elon Musk took the stage to present the new benchmark of light-duty trucks, the Tesla Cybertruck. While it seems like just another vehicle unveiling, the Cybertruck ushered in a whole new era: the era of long range, high power electric pickup trucks at an affordable price. Not only this, but the Cybertruck is going to be the mass produced electric pickup truck on the market, and the only one you can order on your smartphone. From the performance, sustainability, polarizing design, and everything else under the sun, I’m here to tell you why Cybertruck is going to be a winner.

Specifications:

Starting at $39,900, the Cyber truck comes in 3 models: Single Motor, Dual Motor, and a new Tri-Motor design borrowed from the upcoming Model S Plaid Edition. The Single Motor varient is the cheapest of the bunch, and can pull 7,500+ pounds, go 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, and has a payload capacity of 3,500 pounds. The next model up, the Dual Motor variation, can pull 10,000+ pounds, go 0-60 MPH in under 4.5 seconds, and go over 300 miles, but that’s nothing compared to the next model: the all new Tri-Motor Cybertruck. With a breathtaking 0-60 time of just 2.9 seconds, it will floor you with the amount of low-end torque.  Just for reference, that’s faster than a $100,000+ Porsche 911 sports car. Also with this option, you get over 14,000 pounds of towing capability, and over 500 miles of range on a single charge. The coroner called; range anxiety is officially dead.

Design:

In one word, I’d describe the design  of the Cybertruck as polarizing. With a 30x cold-rolled stainless steel exoskeleton, it is “dent proof, scratch proof, and bullet proof.” The glass, while proven to be strong, needs some extra time to get perfect, as shown by the stage demonstration. Elon has been very clear what his inspiration was, stating that the Cybertruck is a product of Cyberpunk and Blade Runner aesthetic, with a performance gene. With a single lightbar headlight and lightbar, it will be a distinct vehicle going down the road. The low-polygonal design carries out throughout the truck, bed walls, the seat backs, and the fender flairs. The interior is a different story, however, as it has  a giant 17″ touch screen that controls most of the truck, as well as a racing-inspired steering wheel, and a marble-esque dashboard made out of natural materials. The interior is finished up by the seats, which includes seating for six made of local vegan leather. With utility in spades, the truck bed has L-tracks and tie down points everywhere, and enough storage room to carry a 4×8′ piece of plywood comfortably. Talk about a workhorse.

Why it’s Selling:

If you haven’t heard by now, the Tesla Cybertruck isn’t what you would call a slow seller. By the third day, Tesla received over $20,000,000 in down payments ($100/reservation) for pre-orders,  which is 200,000 happy customers. Right now, they are hovering around the 300,000 reserve mark.  That is a fact that many analysts refuse to believe, as the Cybertruck is a polarizing vehicle. With the low-polygonal space-age stainless steel design, it is a truck that only Tesla could do. CEO Elon Musk has said that their goal is to change the segment permanently, and with this truck, they did. They have shown that if you want to stand out, you can’t fit in to the same design queues of the past 70+ years. To flaunt the benchmark of the truck, they had to make it stand out. It’s just like that old saying, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Say what you will about this truck, but the design, performance, and place in culture make it a success from the beginning.

Why it Matters:

The Tesla Cybertruck is a benchmark in and of itself for a lot of reasons. First of all, it is the first mass-market all electric pickup truck. It has set the standard for Rivian and Ford to catch up to, and others to look at. Secondly, it has the performance to best any truck in the segment, and its zero-emissions to boot. It is an environmental workhorse, coming after the title of the best selling truck in the United States, and it could very easily do it. Third of all, it is on par with the other competitors in the segment, price wise.  The appeal of owning an electric vehicle has grown significantly over the past 10 years, and it continues to be on the rise. More vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 gain market share in the luxury car markets, taking away share from the German manufacturers. No matter how you slice it, all things in life have negatives. One drawback that has been seen is range anxiety, or the fear of how long you can go on a charge, but, as we stated before, you can go upwards of 500 miles on a single charge, so that fear should be nonexistent. Another is road trips or long drives, but with overgrowing Supercharger network, you can charge your vehicle at a rate over 150 mph.

No matter what lifestyle you live, it you can live it in style with the Cybertruck. From the performance, constant media coverage, design, and environmental benefits, it shows that electric trucks are going to be common in the near future, and that standing out, polarizing or not, really benefits sales. So, these have been all of the reasons that the brand new Tesla Cybertruck is a true winner, even at launch.