Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has drawn on sci-fi movies to design its latest showstopper vehicle, an all-electric pick-up dubbed Cybertruck.
It is no surprise that Tesla, whose CEO is Elon Musk, also the boss at SpaceX,would come up with something a little space-age for the group's latest vehicle - the sixth since the company was founded in 2003.
The pick-up starts with a price-tag of US$39,000 and will also be the official truck of Mars (once pressurized), Musk revealed yesterday at a glitzy, yet accident-prone launch event in Los Angeles.
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Inspiration for its design has been drawn from the Ridley Scott's 1980s classic Bladerunner and Bond movie 'The Spy who Loved Me', and oh, there's a dose of Mad Max in there too by all accounts.
The truck, set to first roll off the production line in 2021, is reportedly bulletproof against a 9mm handgun, though how useful that may be on the Red planet is up for debate.
A demonstration showed a sledgehammer unable to damage the alloy sides but in a comedic moment a metal ball thrown at the windows saw the glass shattering amid laughter from the crowd.
Cybertruck will have some stiff competition. It will be up against the famous Ford F Series - the bestselling pickup for more than 40 years in the USA.
General Motors Company’s (NYSE:GM) Chevrolet Silverado is another notable competitor.
Musk told those assembled at the glitzy launch that the Cybertruck can motor from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds on the low-end model, and in a flashy 2.9 seconds at the high-end. The midrange dual-motor version of the truck does it in 4.5 seconds.
It is the latest bid from Musk to realize his electric vehicle vision and a gamble on the lucrative pick-up market, said to be around 3 million units in the US alone. But analysts will be keen to see if the colorful entrepreneur can succeed after a history of struggling to bring out new products.
CNBC said Friday that Toni Sacconaghi, senior technology research analyst at AB Bernstein, had said in a research note: "Musk had warned investors that Tesla’s pickup would be “really futuristic, like cyberpunk Blade Runner,” and he wasn’t kidding. Add a little bit of dirt, and you could even say it gives off a retro-future vibe a la Mad Max."
Tesla shares fell 5.8% in in New York Friday to stand at US$334.16 each.
Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com