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Forbes
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Elon Musk's Epic Cybertruck Fail
The list of famous auto industry flops is long and storied, topped by stinkers like Ford's Edsel and exploding Pinto and General Motors's unsightly Pontiac Aztek crossover SUV. Even John Delorean's sleek, stainless steel DMC-12, iconic from its role in the 'Back To The Future' films, was a sales dud that drove the company to bankruptcy. Elon Musk's pet project, the dumpster-driving Tesla Cybertruck, now tops that list. After a little over a year at market, sales of the 6,600-pound vehicle, priced from $82,000, are laughably below what Musk predicted. Its lousy reputation for quality–with eight recalls in the past 13 months, the latest for body panels that fall off–and polarizing look made it a punchline for comedians. Unlike past auto flops that just looked ridiculous or sold badly, Musk's truck is also a focal point for global Tesla protests spurred by the billionaire's job-slashing DOGE role and MAGA politics. 'It's right up there with Edsel,' said Eric Noble, president of consultancy CARLAB and a professor at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California (Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen, who styled Cybertruck for Musk, is a graduate of its famed transportation design program). 'It's a huge swing and a huge miss.' 'I do zero market research whatsoever.' Judged solely on sales, Musk's Cybertruck is actually doing a lot worse than Edsel, a name that's become synonymous with a disastrous product misfire. Ford hoped to sell 200,000 Edsels a year when it hit the market in 1958, but managed just 63,000. Sales plunged in 1959 and the brand was dumped in 1960. Musk predicted that Cybertruck might see 250,000 annual sales. Tesla sold just under 40,000 in 2024, its first full year. There's no sign that volume is rising this year, with sales trending lower in January and February, according to Cox Automotive. And Tesla's overall sales are plummeting this year, with deliveries tumbling 13% in the first quarter to 337,000 units, well below consensus expectations of 408,000. The company did not break out Cybertruck sales, which is lumped in with the Model S and Model X, its priciest segment. But it's clear Cybertruck sales were hurt this quarter by the need to make recall-related fixes, Ben Kallo, an equity analyst for Baird, said in a research note. Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The quarterly slowdown underscores the fact that when it comes to the Cybertruck, results are nowhere near the billionaire entrepreneur's carnival barker claims. 'Demand is off the charts,' he crowed during a results call in November 2023, just before the first units started shipping to customers. 'We have over 1 million people who have reserved the car.' In anticipation of high sales, Tesla even modified its Austin Gigafactory so it could produce up to 250,000 Cybertrucks a year, capacity investments that aren't likely to be recouped. 'They didn't just say they wanted to sell a lot. They capacitized to sell a lot,' said industry researcher Glenn Mercer, who leads Cleveland-based advisory firm GM Automotive. But the assumption of massive demand has proven foolhardy. And it failed to account for self-inflicted wounds that further stymied sales. Turns out the elephantine Cybertruck is either too large or non-compliant with some countries' pedestrian safety rules, so there's little opportunity to boost sales with exports. 'They haven't sold a lot and it's unlikely in this case that overseas markets can save them, even China that's been huge for Tesla cars,' Mercer said. 'It's really just for this market.' A Cybertruck drives by protesters at the Tesla Showroom in Somerset, Massachusetts. More than a decade before Cybertruck went into production, Musk hinted that Tesla would eventually do some kind of electric pickup. When he unveiled his design to the world for the first time, Musk was clear that he did not want a conventional aesthetic or even something that played with pickup looks a bit but was still familiar, the approach Rivian took with its R1T pickup. 'Pickup trucks have been the same for 100 years,' and Cybertruck 'doesn't look like anything else,' said Musk, who earlier that month had proudly told an audience at a conference for space entrepreneurs, 'I do zero market research whatsoever.' That would be an apt tagline for Musk's preposterous pickup. 'The spectacular failure of Cybertruck was a failure of empathy,' said CARLAB's Noble, whose company helps carmakers develop products based on consumer research. 'Everything from the bed configuration to the cab configuration to its performance and all sorts of pickup truck duty-cycle issues, it's just not empathetic to a pickup truck buyer.' Cybertruck's distinctive look resulted from two key forces, said a person familiar with the development process, who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public. One was Musk's passion for sci-fi designs. The other was an early decision to create a vehicle that didn't need to be painted. If Tesla opted not to paint the trucks, it wouldn't need to install a new $200 million paintshop, a big potential cost savings. And it wouldn't have to worry about EPA scrutiny from the harmful emissions and runoff those facilities often produce. 'They drooled over not spending $200 million on a paint shop, but probably spent that much trying to get the stainless steel to work.' Ultimately, Musk opted for a stainless steel exterior, the same choice Delorean made for his ill-fated sports car four decades earlier. But because Musk isn't a production engineer, he may not have fully appreciated the challenges it presents versus aluminum or composite materials, the person said. Aside from the fact that stainless steel shows handprints–a common gripe about kitchen appliances–it's hard to bend and likes to snap back to its original shape, one of the reasons there have been problems with Cybertruck body panels. 'This is where I think they misconstrued the tradeoff,' Mercer said. 'They drooled over not spending $200 million on a paint shop, but probably spent that much trying to get the stainless steel to work.' Developing Cybertruck, including tooling expenses to make it in Austin, probably cost Tesla about $900 million, he estimated. And unlike the company's other vehicles, like the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover, it doesn't appear that the Cybertruck shares any development and production costs with other Tesla products. 'Does it have a demonstrated technology that could be used elsewhere by the company? That is not the case,' Mercer said. 'Can the manufacturing plant make all this other stuff based on investments for Cybertruck? No, it can't. An unpainted stainless steel vehicle just doesn't have that much broad traction.' There were bad omens from the start. At the vehicle's unveiling in November 2019 to raucous Tesla fans in Los Angeles, a demonstration of Cybertruck's supposedly shatter-proof 'armor' glass by Musk and von Holzhausen went hilariously awry when a steel ball hurled at the vehicle busted the driver-side window twice. 'Oh my fucking God,' a chagrined Musk said. 'We'll fix it in post.' Then there was the price. Musk had promised that a base version of the vehicle with 250 miles of range would start at $39,900. He was off by about half. Currently, the base version of the truck, ostensibly priced from $72,490, costs $82,235 before a $7,500 federal tax credit that President Trump has vowed to eliminate. It claims up to 325 miles of range–if you don't tow anything or drive too fast. The top-end 'Cyberbeast' version is $105,735 and too pricey for the credit. Though Tesla isn't making the entry-level version Musk promised in 2019, plunging resale values have made used Cybertrucks quite a bit more affordable, according to auto news site Jalopnik. You can get a lightly used one for less than $70,000, assuming you're comfortable with the implied risk of vandalism. And prices could go lower still, exacerbated by about $200 million of unsold inventory the company is sitting on, Tesla fansite Electrek said this week. In the end, Musk cursed the Cybertruck by ignoring the reasons people buy pickup trucks — to haul things around and drive well in offroad conditions. The vehicle isn't competent at either of those things, as has been endlessly documented in scathing reviews, a steady stream of 'Cybertruck fail' videos and a 280,000-member 'CyberStuck' Subreddit. Adding to the embarrassment is a developing sub-genre of videos showing stymied Cybertrucks being towed to safety by Ford F-150s or GM Silverados. 'If there's anything the Detroit Three know how to do, it's full-size pickup trucks with extremely loyal buyers,' Mercer said. 'He launched Cybertruck into the teeth of the hardest segment to crack.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
These Are The Vintage Cars You Want To EV Swap
Earlier this week I had the chance to drive Everrati's EV-swapped Porsche 911, and it got me daydreaming about other vintage cars that would be excellent candidates for electric powertrains. That led me to my question from earlier this week: What classic model do you want to EV swap? Your answers ranged from land barges to sports cars and everything in between. To be honest, I think that nearly any answer you could have given is valid. There are so many awesome older cars that are saddled with bad powertrains, or ones that are hard to maintain in the modern era. An EV swap can make an old car much easier to live with, extending their lifespans, and isn't that something we as enthusiasts should celebrate? I think so. Keep scrolling to read some of the best responses, and let us know in the comments which one you think is the best idea — or if you have a better one. Continental convertible. Definitely. Submitted by: dustynnguyendood Did you know that Lady Gaga owns one of these? DeLorean is an obvious answer, doesn't mean it's wrong. Deloreon for sure. The DMC-12 deserved better power from the start and an EV powertrain in one of those would maybe make one of those worth driving. Delorean DMC12. Super cool car visually, but the mechanical aspects were terrible. You'd get a better performing and more reliable car. Plus, these things are mostly only driven around town or to Cars and Coffee anyways, so you don't need to worry about range much. Pretty sure this is the most played out answer by now but I don't care. I'm a fool for wedges. Submitted by: Andrew Gottlieb, This burner burns premium, Golfball, icrashbikes This EV-swapped DeLorean will do 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds! Really anything would be better than that Renault V6. Hear me out... In the year of our lord 2025, the Plymouth Prowler could be considered a classic. It should make the short list of great vehicle designs with an absolutely pitiful drivetrain. Space is at a premium under the hood for Hellcat / LS swaps, BUT an EV drivetrain could fit nicely. The same could be said for a Delorian, and some folks have been swapping those bad lads for a few years now. Submitted by: vr6dan How about a Cord 812? Having seen the Tampa Bay Auto Museum's Cord moving under its own power, I can attest that mid-1930s ICE technology definitely does not fit well with the Cord's sleek art deco styling. Mounting a 125hp hub motor under each of those fenders would do wonders for performance. Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I Hell yeah. Fiat x19 or Toyota MR2 Modest electric motor and battery packs in the front, middle and rear. Retuned springs/struts for the extra weight. I see maybe 100 mi range and a freaking blast to drive. Submitted by: jdmmmmmm I think little sports cars like this are perfect candidates for EV swaps. Studebaker Avanti... really anything driven in Gattaca but the Avanti specifically. Also the Ford Thunderbird from 1961-1963 and 1964-1966. Submitted by: Clark Wise I'm sorry to say that I'm an Avanti hater, but an EV swap would make sense for it. 88-98 OBS GM pickup. IMO, the last good looking 'Truck's Truck' ever made. I've been following the work Deboss Garage up in Canukistan has been doing with Edison to make just such a thing happen. It's a series-hybrid kit they are working on, but close enough. Submitted by: C. Weeks This is easily my favorite era of GM truck. Any one of Nissan's Pike cars would make great town runabouts if converted to EV. You're probably not getting great range from an EV swap, but you wouldn't want to do long trips in these for the most part anyhow, and it's not like a basic four-cylinder is wildly characterful. Submitted by: Maymar In a perfect world we'd all be driving around Nissan's Pike cars. I think something big, elegant, old, and slightly sinister would really benefit from an EV conversion. Check this out: Now imagine it gliding silently out of the fog on a dark and deserted cobblestone street in London. I know I'd run for my life!! Submitted by: Anthony Thornton Having seen this thing in person, I whole-heartedly agree. Really any pre-war Rolls would be awesome as an EV. How about the good old Beetle? I mean, the original air-cooled H4's made at best, what 50-60HP in the 1600cc?You could easily adapt a small and lightweight electric engine to output that, or even double that. Balance the weight up front with the battery cells. Small eco electric, that would be a blast to drive. Submitted by: Knyte Really any old VW would be vastly improved with an electric powertrain. Very specifically our companies 1925 Model T Touring. The factory block has a crack in the cooling jacket, and unfortunately the company owner drove it without coolant. An EV conversion could make it far easier to drive, and I could hide battery packs under both seats. Submitted by: Drg84 This would be pretty sweet, but I can imagine electric torque in a car like this would be terrifying. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
