Tesla is about to unveil its pickup truck - here's everything you need to know
- Tesla will unveil its pickup truck, which CEO Elon Musk has called the "Cybertruck," on Thursday in the Los Angeles area.
- The event will begin at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT and will likely be streamed on Tesla's YouTube page and website, though the electric-car maker did not respond to Business Insider's request for confirmation on if, or how, it will stream the event.
- Tesla plans to roll out the pickup truck after its Model Y SUV, which is set to enter production next summer.
- Musk has made a number of bold claims about the pickup truck's capabilities, like saying it will be able to tow 300,000 pounds.
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Tesla will unveil its pickup truck, which CEO Elon Musk has called the "Cybertruck," on Thursday in Los Angeles.
The event will begin at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT and will likely be streamed on Tesla's YouTube page and website, though the electric-car maker did not respond to Business Insider's request for confirmation on if or how it will stream the event.
Musk has said that, among Tesla's upcoming vehicles, he is most excited about the pickup truck. Tesla plans to roll out the pickup truck after its Model Y SUV, which is set to enter production next summer.
Adding a pickup truck and another SUV (after the Model X luxury SUV) to its lineup could have financial benefits for Tesla. SUVs and pickup trucks comprise well over half of the US auto market and earn higher profit margins for automakers than sedans, a dynamic that could help Tesla move toward consistent profitability, as the majority of its sales come from its Model 3 sedan. While Tesla has earned profits in three of the past five quarters, it has lost money in every full year since it was founded in 2003.
Musk has hinted on multiple occasions that the truck will have an unusual design, citing the movie "Blade Runner" as a reference point.
"Cybertruck doesn't look like anything I've seen bouncing around the Internet. It's closer to an armored personnel carrier from the future," Musk tweeted in October.
Musk has also made a number of bold claims about the pickup truck's capabilities. While Tesla has a history of beating its electric-vehicle competitors in areas like range, acceleration, and technology, Musk's statements about the pickup truck are aggressive even by his standards.
He has said that the truck will be able to tow 300,000 pounds and outperform both a Ford F-150 and a Porsche 911.
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