Tesla has announced that its first mass-produced electric pickup, the Cybertruck, has left the assembly line about two years behind schedule.
The company tweeted a photo on Saturday of dozens of employees in helmets and yellow vests surrounding a truck.
“First Cybertruck built in Giga Texas!” Tesla tweeted, including an emoji wearing a cowboy hat. Owner Elon Musk retweeted the post.
Musk announced the truck in late 2019, and Tesla said production would begin in late 2021, but the company has since started production slowly, with fewer units than other Tesla vehicles. warned.
With its wedge shape and stainless steel body, which Tesla calls an exoskeleton, the Cybertruck is nothing like a traditional pickup truck. Some analysts have criticized it for being a niche product and not having broad appeal.
Musk said in April that he expected the first trucks to be delivered, probably in the July-September quarter. As with any new product, production will start slowly and then accelerate, he said.
“It takes time to get the production line up and running. And this is really a very innovative product. It’s not made the way other cars are made. So let’s see.” He said.
The truck’s 2019 announcement veered off course after Musk yelled at it after a large metal ball hit a window that was touted as unbreakable, cracking it into a spider web.
Tesla originally said it would produce three versions of the truck, ranging from about $40,000 to $70,000. The company has since removed the price from the page where customers can decide whether to order the $100 discount.
Competitors have entered the electric truck market, including the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian Automotive’s R1T. Both look like conventional pickups.
Tesla is set to announce second-quarter earnings on July 19.
