Iron Cross Automotive

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• Sensor Compatiable

• Multiple Lighting Options

• Customizable Accent Plates

• Matte Black Finish

• Low Profile Design

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Electrifying

Story by Benjamin Yong, photos courtesy of Tesla W ho would have thought in 2020 that the biggest news to come out of the truck segment would be a zeroemissions pickup made by a technology company? Well here we are, and Tesla has recently announced they are building just that.

In late November, Elon Musk took to the stage in California amid much fanfare to introduce the Cybertruck, the sixth model in the all-electric lineup. Purely based on aesthetics, it’s hard to believe the metallic and trapezoidal vehicle is poised to go up against established old-timers such as the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado.

OFF-ROAD Plus MAGAZINE FEB/MAR 2020 32 “Trucks have been the same for a very long time. Like 100 years,” said Musk addressing a full house at the Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, located southwest of Los Angeles. “We wanted to try something different.”

That said, MSRP is in the ballpark of its competition. Tesla’s entry starts at roughly $50,000 ($39,900 USD) compared to $48,000 for a mid-range 2020 F-150 Lariat or Silverado 1500 LT. There’s also a 6.5-foot bed offering 100 cubic feet of storage, too — although concealed by an aerodynamic motorized tonneau cover complete with integrated solar panels.

As many others have observed, the Cybertruck, measuring 2,027 millimetres wide and standing 1,095 millimetres tall, appears to be lifted straight out of another time period. In fact, Musk himself has previously said styling influence came from films including Blade Runner and The Spy Who Loved Me, the 10th installment in the 007 franchise.

Boasting harder edges than a park bench, the body is crafted out of allegedly bullet-proof (.38 calibre) “ultra-hard 30-times cold-rolled stainless steel,” the same material used on the rockets of sister company SpaceX. Even the glass is supposed to be stronger than the kind usually found on a typical pickup.

Unfortunately, a demonstration of the above claim did not go well during the presentation. Head designer Franz Von Holzhausen came out and threw a metal ball against a side window, which cracked immediately. “Well, maybe that was a little too hard,” says a sheepish Musk in response, adding a later fix will be applied.

A thin blade of LEDs at the front serve as headlights, and a similar strip at the rear, the taillights. And nope, Tesla has made the decision to forego a conventional rear window, instead utilizing cameras for visibility when the bed is covered. The vehicle sits atop four-inch-high adaptive dampening suspension and chunky black solid wheels, easily passing for a set lifted straight off a Hot Wheels car.

Seating inside accommodates six occupants, who are greeted with a familiar giant 17-inch touchscreen display controlling the usual infotainment and climate settings, as well as stuff you’d find on a typical smartphone like a calendar and web browser. And as on a mobile device, users