The Breakdown: Tesla Cybertruck’s Design, Materials and Construction

MotorTrend

That was unexpected. Fresh off the reveal of the Tesla Cybertruck

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 - Hey guys, Christian Seaball here with Kim Reynolds.

00:10 We have just seen the all new Tesla Cybertruck.

00:13 It is, safe to say, it's unlike anything else

00:16 we've ever seen in the truck space.

00:17 - Despite everything else that's original about it,

00:19 the design is what's gonna stop everybody in their tracks.

00:22 - Two motors, one in the front, one in the back.

00:24 Stainless steel construction, which is bizarre.

00:27 We haven't seen that since the DeLorean.

00:29 - Air suspension, crazy 35 inch off-road tires.

00:32 It's bulletproof, allegedly.

00:34 What is this?

00:35 - It reminds me of show cars from the 1970s

00:40 and early 1980s.

00:42 That was a period when that sort of angular design

00:44 was very popular.

00:45 And Giugiaro and many other designers from Italy, usually,

00:48 were creating prototypes that had that

00:50 sort of multi-faceted look.

00:52 So it's kind of, to me, it's sort of a revival of that

00:55 mixed with a total paramilitary look.

00:58 On the road, the first time one of these pulls up

01:01 behind you, you're gonna get out of the way

01:04 'cause you're looking in the mirror and.

01:06 - It's the army, you gotta move.

01:08 If it looks anything, the production version

01:10 looks anything like this, it's gonna be one of those cars

01:12 that just stops you in your tracks.

01:13 - It'll stop traffic.

01:14 - I think the most revolutionary thing about it

01:16 is the stainless steel construction.

01:17 - If you're a car designer, that's very awkward

01:19 for an electric car because aerodynamics

01:22 are extremely important.

01:23 Obviously, the peak at the roof is the big deal

01:26 and that's where I look at it and I see a lot of separation

01:29 happening there, which is just murderous

01:32 to the range of an electric car.

01:33 Apparently, they feel differently.

01:35 - Why is stainless steel a potential advantage

01:37 or disadvantage to the Cybertruck?

01:38 - There are huge cost savings.

01:40 You don't have to paint it.

01:42 So right there, you're saving all of the facilities

01:45 and machines and everything that's required for that,

01:47 which we were told can be around $200 million

01:51 right off the top.

01:52 - And also the environmental impact.

01:53 - Right, yeah, yeah, and that's a good thing too.

01:55 - I know they're basically folding the steel into place.

01:57 - So if you've ever folded up a paper airplane,

02:00 let alone complex origami, you got the idea.

02:02 So it's remarkable because then you get rid

02:05 of the huge stamping machine that's necessary.

02:07 The simplification is astonishing.

02:10 - So despite the Cybertruck's revolutionary design,

02:12 it's still a truck at its core.

02:14 You know, six and a half foot bed.

02:16 - And the ability for it, because it has an air suspension,

02:19 to be able to sort of squat for loading.

02:22 You put down the tailgate and it has an extender.

02:26 The rear goes down and the idea here is that you could just

02:28 like bring motorcycles or things or walk right up there

02:31 with a box rather than having to lift.

02:33 - To me, the most conventional part of this truck

02:35 is the interior.

02:37 If you've seen a Tesla, you've seen a Cybertruck's interior.

02:39 - But a big difference is the front seat, right?

02:42 - Right, six passengers, which is awesome.

02:44 Bench seats are my favorite.

02:45 - When's the last time we've seen one of those?

02:47 - Yeah, in a Ram power wagon.

02:49 But there's not enough of them.

02:50 - It's rare.

02:51 - Very rare.

02:52 - So design-wise, I think the Cybertruck is a solid step

02:55 forward for them.

02:56 - This is the first time where they're really stepping out

02:59 with an original, purely Tesla design.

03:01 You would obviously never confuse this with anything else.

03:04 And a looming question is whether it looks to the future

03:08 of their design.

03:09 Will they build a follow-up Model S or three or whatever

03:13 down the line in this manner?

03:15 Will the public accept it?

03:17 Would they accept this kind of design philosophy

03:19 for a conventional mainstream sedan?

03:21 - Yeah, maybe this becomes conventional.

03:23 - We'll see.

03:24 - Yeah.

03:25 (upbeat music)

03:27 (upbeat music)

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