Tesla unveils the wildly futuristic Cybertruck, starting at $39,900

It’s finally here – after years of teasing, Tesla has unveiled the Cybertruck. Yes, that’s the official name, and it’s like no truck you’ve seen before. No real truck, anyway.

With an angular design that would make Christopher Nolan’s Batmobile jealous, the Cybertruck is built to be tough, with “ultra-hard” cold-rolled steel and extra-tough armor glass. Tesla made a point of the toughness, and demonstrated hitting the truck with a sledgehammer and shooting it with a gun (the latter, thankfully not on stage).

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The truck also includes an integrated tonneau cover that’s strong enough to stand on, 100 cubic feet of exterior cargo capacity, and adjustable suspension. Despite this, it can still seat six passengers. The company is also apparently planning quite the tailgating  package:

The truck is able to tow 14,000+ pounds in its top configuration; Musk showed it beating a Ford F-150 in a friendly game of tug of war. But just because it’s bigger doesn’t mean the company is slacking on acceleration. The vehicle can do zero to 60 in 2.9 seconds, and the company demoed it speeding past a Porche 911 from a dead start.

The Cybertruck will be key to Tesla’s long-term success in the US, where the three best-selling vehicles are all pickup trucks – the aforementioned F-150 at the top. The sure-to-be-divisive design is therefore an interesting choice. Many won’t buy it on the looks alone, but I’ve got to admit, I kind of dig the futuristic look.

The truck comes in three basic configurations contingent on the number of motors. The single motor rear-wheel drive model will set you back $39,900, travel 250+ miles, tow 7,500+ lbs, and do 0-60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds. For the dual-motor, $49,900 model, that’s 300+ miles, 10,000+lbs, and 4.5 seconds. On the top end is the tri-motor model at $69,900, with a range for 500+ miles, a towing capacity of over 14,000 lbs, and acceleration from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds.

You can place your pre-order on Tesla’s site with a $100 deposit today. Production will begin in “late 2021” for the single and dual-motor models, while the tri-motor model will begin production in late 2022.