“Our Mars jacket has a 3D printed vomit pocket with a bright orange sick bag,” company co-founder Steve Tidball said earlier this year. “You could call it provocative, but for us it’s not, it’s experimental.” Vollebak is a niche brand, however, and marketing a post-apocalyptic future as somehow desirable is far from mainstream.
Where are the imitators?
Perhaps the number of design copycats will be the best test of whether Musk is on the right track and whether he will confound his detractors and make billions with his head-turning pickup truck. But in the four years since its launch, not a single automaker has made a Cybertruck clone.
Sure, they could all be wrong, and once again Musk will be laughing all the way to the bank, but Tesla’s disruptive genius was all about the drivetrain, not the silhouette.
Tesla now needs an injection of novelty. Its current offering of four vehicles is long. The Model Y crossover is three years old, while the Model 3 sedan is from 2017, which is dangerously antediluvian in the automotive world.
“Right now, owning an electric vehicle is a [Porsche] Taycan or a Mercedes EQS. 100 percent,” automotive consultant Eric Noble of CARLAB told Forbes. “There’s no cachet in a Tesla among the rich.”
S&P Global Mobility reported Tesla’s diminishing dominance in the US electric vehicle market. “As consumer choice and interest in electric vehicles increases, Tesla’s ability to maintain a dominant market share will be challenged in the future,” the S&P report concludes.
“Musk is a polarizing figure among many fans, but a growing number of people are disappointed in him,” says AutoPacific’s Kim.
“Some liberals, who were early adopters of Tesla cars, vowed not to buy more,” says Sorenson of UCLA Anderson. “Interestingly, however, its appeal among conservatives – not usual EV buyers – has increased. This could actually help sales of the Cybertruck, since conservatives buy pickup trucks and SUVs more frequently.
“Conservatives aren’t buying gas-powered vehicles just to irritate liberals,” said Simcoe of Boston University. “All kinds of people are buying these vehicles because they are useful, and as electric trucks, including the Cybertruck, begin to offer better performance at competitive prices, we will see their adoption by all demographics. »
Reduce ecological attitude
Before becoming CEO, Musk outlined his vision for Tesla in a 2006 manifesto: to clear the air, starting with expensive high-end models and then moving to affordable family cars. Seventeen years later, this affordable family car still isn’t available – thought to be imminent, but Tesla’s pie-crust promises still are – and the Cybertruck is now the company’s flagship product. the company. No more references to environmental benefits.
“Progressives and environmentalists are unlikely to line up for the Cybertruck,” says Gartner’s Ramsey. “Besides its gargantuan size and weight, it’s not very useful as a truck. It is a status symbol and a way to attract attention.
