Love it or hate it, one cannot ignore it. Maybe Tesla learned attention-grabbing skills from Bollywood.
Let me get this straight, I love Tesla as a company and I cannot begin to put to words my appreciation for Elon Musk. Yes, he might be a big mouth but he’s a visionary nevertheless. In my opinion, he is what the world has closest to Iron Man right now. In the 2012 Avengers movie Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, asks Tony Stark aka Iron Man, “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?” Stark replies without batting an eyelid, “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” Yes, that’s Elon Musk for you. But why are we talking about him when Tesla is the pivot here? It’s because Elon Musk is the face of Tesla 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and a lot can be said about a company based on its leader’s conduct. While his alternate aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company SpaceX sent a Tesla Roadster in space, the $24 billion worth technology entrepreneur apparently smoked pot in a media appearance, accused a Thai cave diver of being a pedophile and threatened to launch a website to rate journalists’ credibility. Not to forget the vexed tweets that nearly cost him his position in the company. Sigh.
Aren’t all Tesla vehicles beautifully curated? Take for instance the Model X and its Falcon Wing doors, the Model Y, the Model 3 and the Model S have been like a slight peek into the future of electric cars and maybe the Jetsons. But, what is wrong with the Tesla truck? Yes, it’s quirky alright but doesn’t it feel like a blast from the past instead of the future? The Cybertruck looks like an image opened on the Internet Explorer via the most sluggish internet connection. The design and its rudimentary shape is an eyebrow-raiser but my main concern is, does it or will it serve its purpose of being a pick-up truck? Buyers of this segment are some of the most risk-averse and brand-loyal purchasers around. These folks carry big families, while some pull heavy trailers, others haul loads and many double it up as a vehicle that serves both work and play. How many will be willing enough to own an electric truck with range anxiety? Add weight on the already heavy truck, just like any other electric vehicle and you lose range, attach a heavy trailer and you might lose more miles. Add some extreme high or low temperature and there go more digits on the meter. Also, electric trucks don’t drive like traditional trucks at all. Not to forget the Cybertruck demo that went astray when the shatterproof windows were smashed during the live stream. Awkward.
Nevertheless, the Cybertruck is super cool, unique, powerful and different. It attracts a mix of emotions and might have become the most talked-about car in history, gathering the attention of probably hundreds of millions, for free.
