New model
Tesla could plan smaller Cybertruck – and the notice is publicly displayed in a museum
Random find in the museum: is Tesla showing a planned modification of the Cybertruck here?
© twitter.com/MissJilianne
Even before the first Tesla cyber truck lands at the customer, the first rumors about a new model appear. The source seems to be Tesla himself – with a drawing by designer Franz von Holzhausen.
The Tesla cybertruck has been haunting the automaker’s range since November 2019. After several postponements, the extraordinary, gigantic truck should finally go into production in the third quarter of 2023 and make American customers in particular happy, who have already pre-ordered the vehicle in droves shortly after the first presentation.
The vehicle made of 3 millimeter thick steel with its disadvantages in terms of occupant and pedestrian protection is probably out of the question for the European market, especially since the Cybertruck would simply be too big for local areas. Tesla always left open whether they were planning a smaller version adapted for European conditions. Internally, however, the development of this idea seems to be further along.
Chief designer’s Tesla drawing raises questions
During a visit to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, the Twitter user “Miss Julianne” a drawing caught my eye. Since it is hanging directly above a cybertruck, not many people have probably taken a look at the poster. On closer inspection, however, it is noticeable that it is not the cybertruck that is actually standing in this hall, but an apparently more compact model with only two doors.
Tesla fans are arguing on social media about whether this is just a meaningless drawing or a clever hiding place of a new model intended only for insider eyes. The signature on the picture is from Franz von Holzhausen, the automaker’s chief designer. The drawing is basically similar to the current Cybertruck, but the car looks smaller, almost like a coupe.
Elon Musk had already indicated in the past that another model could be expected. In November 2019 he wrote: “In the long term, it probably makes sense to build a smaller cybertruck as well.”
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When it comes to prototypes and concepts, Musk has a reputation for disliking inconclusive studies. 2014, long before Tesla had the success the company can boast of today, he wrote: “I really hate it when companies build awesome show vehicles that you can never buy. It’s totally lame.”
The Cybertruck in the drawing has many fans on Twitter. “Exactly the vehicle that I want,” it says there. Or: “I would much prefer the car.”
Probably no Tesla truck for Europe again
As far as the suitability for Europe is concerned, the two-door car on the drawing would also have a problem again, if it comes at all. Because it is not the dimensions that bother registration offices in this country the most, but the angular front and the rigid body, which the experts believe pose a danger to both occupants and passers-by. Nothing seems to have changed in the planning – as of now.