Tesla delayed Roadster, moved Cybertruck higher on the priority list

KUALA LUMPUR: In an attempt to bring Cybertruck sooner on roads, the electric car specialist, Tesla, has put the next-generation Roadster sports car on hold. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has recently appeared on Joe Rogan's popular podcast, where he confirmed that the outrageous 400 kmph electric supercar would be temporarily benched.

Musk also said that the other projects, such as the production ramp-up of the new Model Y compact SUV, building a new car factory in Germany, would be taken before the new Tesla Roadster. “Roadster is kind of like dessert,” he said. “We gotta get the meat and potatoes and greens and stuff.”

With Cybertruck production slated to begin in 2021, it seems that the Roadster would be launched in 2022 at the earliest as the firm plans to put the truck into production first. However, Musk did not mention anything about the arrival timing of wedged-shaped Cybertruck in the showrooms.

On the podcast, he also stated the current lockdown regulations in the U.S. are unconstitutional, which are restricting the manufacturing of vehicles.

With the capabilities to challenge all of the top-selling pick-up trucks, Tesla Cybertruck was revealed in November last year and has experienced a strong response in terms of bookings. Over 250,000 orders had been placed for the electric truck. 

Three iterations of the Tesla Cybertruck are going to be available with different battery packs and drivetrain configurations. It includes:

• Single motor RWD version offering 250 miles of range
• Dual-motor all-wheel-drive version with 300 miles of range
• Tri-motor version providing 500 miles of range

According to reports, the majority of reservations are made for the dual motor and tri-motor versions. And only an estimated 17% of bookings are for the single motor model. Tesla Cybertruck price starts at $39,900 (RM 172,913) before incentives for the base variant. While for the higher trims, customers have to shell out $49,900 (RM 216,250) and $69,900 (RM 302,940), respectively.

Also read: Tesla files patent for the million-mile battery