Elon Musk unveiled a futuristic truck Thursday evening that is expected to take on the workhorse heavy pickup truck market.
The CEO of Tesla unveiled the new electric pickup truck at the Los Angeles Auto Show Thursday night.
Musk revealed that the "Cybertruck" is made with a stainless steel body, will go zero to 60 in 2.9 seconds and will start at $39,000. The truck will be available in three different packages with 250, 300 or 500 miles per charge.
Towing capacity will vary based on the three configurations and tops out at 14,000 pounds available in the TRI Motor AWD version. The TRI Motor AWD will have 500+ miles of range is $69,000 not including "Self-Driving" according to the website.
During the demonstration, Musk highlighted the truck's toughness by hitting the stainless steel body with a sledgehammer. The truck also features what's called "Tesla Armor Glass" which, in videos, seemed unbreakable. During the live demonstration, two windows unexpectedly broke, to which Musk discounted "it didn't go through."
Before the presentation concluded, Musk surprised the audience with an electric ATV which rolled into the bed of the truck. The four-wheeled, battery powered vehicle can be recharged in the bed of the pickup.
It's unclear how much the ATV will cost and its performance specifications.
With the launch, Tesla is edging into the most profitable corner of the U.S. auto market, where buyers tend to have fierce brand loyalty. Tesla’s pickup is more likely to appeal to weekend warriors who want an electric vehicle that can handle some outdoor adventure. But it could end up cutting into Tesla’s electric vehicle sedan sales instead of winning over traditional pickup truck drivers.
Tesla has struggled to meet delivery targets for its sedans, and some fear the new vehicle will shift the company’s attention away from the goal of more consistently meeting its targets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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