Update: Elon Musk claims Tesla wants to complete Cybertruck development by the end of the year, ready for production in 2023.
The future of the Tesla Cybertruck is up in the air right now, with speculation that the truck may not make it to production before the end of the year. But now there’s another rumor to discuss, regarding the possibility of a smaller version of Elon Musk’s pet project.
This news comes from analyst Trip Chowdhry (via InsideEVs) who claims that Tesla will have two different versions of the Cybertruck to show off in March. The first will be the regular Cybertruck size everyone expects, while the other will be slightly smaller.
Chowdhry also claims that both trucks will have had “significant tweaks” compared to the original Cybertruck that was first revealed back in November 2019. Though that should be expected, especially after over two additional years of development.
However, Chowdhry didn’t specify what those changes were or what they might be, just that the mini Cybertruck will be 15% to 20% smaller than the original.
Elon Musk has spoken about the possibility of making a smaller Cybertruck in the past. He said it was “highly likely” that the smaller version would be made for the European market. Huge trucks aren’t as popular in Europe, in part because of the many small roads that couldn’t accommodate an American-sized behemoth.
So it makes sense that Tesla may be prepared for such an eventuality. Especially since the larger Cybertruck has been built specifically for the U.S. market. And there have been claims that the design isn’t actually road legal in the EU — for reasons that include the fact its steel frame is too stiff to absorb energy from pedestrians or cyclists in the event of a crash.
In any case, bringing the truck to Europe may require Tesla to do more than just shrink the truck down to better handle the smaller roads on that side of the Atlantic.
In any case, Chowdhry predicts that Steel Dynamics, which is located close to the Texas Gigafactory in Austin, will be the company providing the shells for both Cybertrucks. But beyond that he didn’t offer any specifics on what we should expect.
As for the delay itself, it’s reportedly happening so Tesla can make changes to the truck’s design, after seeing the specs and features other electric makers have to offer.
Previously, Elon Musk also pinned supply chain issues, and the fact Tesla couldn’t build enough 4680 battery cells to make Cybertruck production cost-effective at that moment, for the delays.
Meanwhile Tesla is going to hold its Q4 2021 earnings call on January 26, and it was previously expected that the Cybertruck would be one topic of discussion. Especially since Elon Musk previously promised that the call would include an updated roadmap for the automaker.
However, whether we will get any confirmation on the rumored Cybertruck delay, or this smaller model, is still unclear.
