Tesla drops entry-level variant of its Cybertruck

American EV manufacturer Tesla removed the basic version of the Cybertruck, which costs $60,990, from the US configurator before the first deliveries of this variant began. Therefore, the new entry-level price for the electric stainless steel pickup is $99,990.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk once promised the Cybertruck with a base price of $39,990, but it now costs at least $99,990, as the lineup starts with the twin-motor version. The delivery dates stated in the US configurator are August and September.

The ‘Cyberbeast’ variant with three engines, which is positioned even higher and costs $113,990, will also reach customers faster than before: the delivery time is given as October to December.

Two versions instead of three

However, the cheaper rear-wheel drive model is no longer present in the configurator. Therefore, the choice is reduced from three to two versions.

When Tesla unveiled the 800-volt series version of the Cybertruck at the end of November 2023 after several postponements, all three variants were available to order, but the basic version was not due to be delivered until 2025. It is unclear whether the orders received to date for this version will actually be delivered to customers or canceled.

Additional battery pack

New details have emerged about the additional battery pack for the Cybertruck. This battery pack, which will extend the range, will be available next year and will cost around $16,000. According to the manufacturer, it can be placed in the loading area and is intended to increase the range to over 800 kilometers. However, there are no further details on this.

Is popularity growing?

Citing figures from Cox Automotive, Reuters reports that Tesla has sold around 16,000 Cybertrucks to date, with July being the best month so far with almost 4,800 units. This figure makes Tesla’s Cybertruck by far the best-selling car over 100,000 dollars in the USA, according to the report.

One can only speculate as to why the US electric car manufacturer is now reorganizing the order options. According to Reuters, it is conceivable that too many potential buyers wanted to wait for the model at a lower entry-level price for Tesla’s taste.

At the same time, production has been shaken up because long delivery dates for the upmarket electric pickup truck versions were indicated for the coming year. Now, there are apparently surplus vehicles, or at least there is no longer a long waiting list.

At the end of January 2024, Tesla declared that the supply of 4680 cylindric cells no longer jeopardized the production ramp-up for the Cybertruck. These cells were long regarded as a bottleneck in production.