Could Tesla Make A Slate Competitor with A Slight Form Factor Change to the Cybercab?

[GaRailroader]

I vaguely recall hearing in an interview with either Lars Moravy or Franz von Holzhausen that they plan to make other form factors on the Cybercab line. Doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to modify this to be an open bed with a tailgate. Probably not carrying a 4x8 sheet of plywood but could get a couple of bikes or a dirt bike in it.

 

[YDR37]

There are credible reports that Tesla engineers did not like the Cybertruck, and tried to secretly develop an alternative Tesla pickup design:

Some Tesla engineers weren't fans of Elon Musk's plans for the Cybertruck, the automaker's design chief Franz von Holzhausen told Walter Isaacson, whose biography on Musk comes out this week.

"A majority of the people in this studio hated it," von Holzhausen said of the futuristic design, according to the book. "They were like, 'You can't be serious.' They didn't want to have anything to do with it. It was just too weird."

Some Tesla engineers even took to covertly designing another version of the electric pickup after they saw a mock-up of the futuristic truck on display at SpaceX's showroom in Los Angeles during the summer of 2019, Isaacson, who shadowed Musk for three years, wrote.

It's unclear what happened to the alternative version of the vehicle. Musk, von Holzhausen, and a spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.

It's common in the automotive industry to produce SUVs and pickups on the same platform (for example, the Rivian R1S and R1T). Tesla produced two successful SUVs (the Model X and the Model Y) before the Cybertruck. So Tesla's engineers may have planned a pickup based on an existing Tesla SUV platform.

My guess is that a Model Y with a bed would have been much cheaper than the Cybertruck, and would have sold much better.

If Tesla really wanted to develop a small inexpensive pickup, the Model Y would likely be a better platform than the Cybercab. For one thing, Tesla has already sold millions of Model Ys, so it's a proven design, while the Cybercab is still in development.

 

[Mac-Tyson]

There are credible reports that Tesla engineers did not like the Cybertruck, and tried to secretly develop an alternative Tesla pickup design:

It's common in the automotive industry to produce SUVs and pickups on the same platform (for example, the Rivian R1S and R1T). Tesla produced two successful SUVs (the Model X and the Model Y) before the Cybertruck. So Tesla's engineers may have planned a pickup based on an existing Tesla SUV platform.

My guess is that a Model Y with a bed would have been much cheaper than the Cybertruck, and would have sold much better.

If Tesla really wanted to develop a small inexpensive pickup, the Model Y would likely be a better platform than the Cybercab. For one thing, Tesla has already sold millions of Model Ys, so it's a proven design, while the Cybercab is still in development.

I agree it would most likely built on the Model Y Platform. But there are more differences than that. Tesla’s whole brand is built around tech innovation and now is having a high priority on Robotaxis. If it doesn’t have a use with AI it doesn’t have a use with Tesla. So removal of the front infotainment screen would be a no go for them. So basically that’s another difference Tesla stresses high tech minimalism while Slate stresses Consumer Choice on how minimalist they want to be.

I’ve read before that Tesla is considering selling the Cybercab to individuals at $25K. Which would be quite the contrast with a base blank slate. An ev with no steering wheel vs an ev that goes against the grain and embraces analog controls both around the same price.

 

[Driven5]

I’ve read before that Tesla is considering selling the Cybercab to individuals at $25K.

Because Tesla is so well known for their honest assessments of future product capability, timeline, and price...

 

[YDR37]

If Tesla really wanted to develop a small inexpensive pickup, the Model Y would likely be a better platform than the Cybercab.

I agree it would most likely built on the Model Y Platform. But there are more differences than that. Tesla’s whole brand is built around tech innovation and now is having a high priority on Robotaxis. If it doesn’t have a use with AI it doesn’t have a use with Tesla.

I agree that Tesla's priority is now on autonomous vehicles. So I don't actually expect Tesla to release a small inexpensive pickup based on the Model Y. In fact, I doubt that Tesla is working on any new models that have a steering wheel and pedals.

We could still see refreshes and tweaks to the existing non-autonomous Tesla lineup (like the new extended-length Model Y that was recently released in China). But my guess is that all of Tesla's new vehicle development is focused on fully autonomous models, like the Cybercab and Robovan.

So Slate doesn't have to worry about competition from Tesla for the foreseeable future. Maybe someday Tesla will offer a lineup of fully autonomous vehicles, including a small pickup. But that day could be years away, and may never arrive at all.