Tesla expects to release the most and least expensive versions of the Cybertruck a year earlier than expected

Tesla

The Tesla Cybertruck.

• Tesla has changed the production timelines for the most and least expensive trims of its Cybertruck pickup truck.
• Production for the three-motor, all-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $69,900, will begin in 2021, a year earlier than Tesla first announced.
• The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $39,900, will enter production in late 2022, a year later than its original timeline.
• Tesla followed a similar strategy with its Model 3 sedan, releasing more expensive, and more profitable, versions before the least expensive trim.
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Tesla has changed the production timelines for the most and least expensive trims of its Cybertruck pickup truck.

Production for the three-motor, all-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $69,900, will begin in 2021, a year earlier than Tesla had first announced. The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $39,900, will enter production in late 2022, a year later than its original timeline.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The electric-car maker followed a similar strategy with its Model 3 sedan, releasing more expensive, and more profitable, versions before the least expensive trim.

The Cybertruck has attracted at least 250,000 refundable $100 pre-orders since it was unveiled in November. Though the vehicle's design has been divisive, its listed performance specs top those of the 2020 Ford F-150 in areas like maximum payload and towing capacity.

Are you a current or former Tesla employee? Do you have an opinion about what it's like to work there? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com. You can ask for more secure methods of communication, like Signal or ProtonMail, by email or Twitter direct message.

• • Read more:
  • The Tesla Cybertruck is the first stainless-steel vehicle since the ill-fated DeLorean - here's a closer look at both
  • Why the Cybertruck is a breakthrough for Tesla and designer Franz von Holzhausen
  • Note to Tesla and Elon Musk: Nobody cares if your Cybertruck can beat a Ford F-150 in a towing contest
  • Tesla is asking for just $100 for a Cybertruck reservation after initially making Model 3 reservation-holders pay $1,000. Here are 3 possible reasons why the Cybertruck deposit is lower.

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