Tesla Pickup to Start Under $50,000, Elon Musk Says
Will be a “better sports car than a standard 911”
Tesla has revealed very little information about its upcoming pickup since it was announced in 2016, and today we still don't know much about it. But CEO Elon Musk revealed one important tidbit in a recent interview: It will start at under $50,000.
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"It just can't be unaffordable," Musk told Ryan McCaffrey on the Ride the Lightning podcast.
At $50,000, the Tesla pickup should undercut the Rivian R1T, which will start just under $70,000. Ford and GM plan to offer electric trucks, too, but haven't said when they'll arrive.
As usual, Musk has big ambitions for his new product. "This will be a better truck than an F-150 in terms of truck-like functionality," he said, "and be a better sports car than a standard 911. That's the aspiration." Without knowing any specs, or which version of the F-150 he's referencing, we'll have to wait and see if these claims are true.
It will not look like a "normal truck" but instead look "pretty sci-fi," Musk said. "If somebody just wants a truck that looks like trucks have looked for the last 20 years, 30 years, or 40 years, this probably isn't for them."
Musk says the truck will be revealed this year, but we'll believe it when we see it. In a 2017 tweet, Musk said Tesla will make the pickup truck right after theModel Y compact crossover. As we learned this past March, the crossover is estimated to arrive in fall 2020, unless it gets delayed like other Tesla products. We don't know exactly when the Tesla pickup will go on sale, but Rivian wants to start selling the R1T in late 2020. Rivian's initial offering will be large-battery versions starting in the mid-$80,000 range. The smaller batteries are supposed to be in production a year later.
Rivian has received some serious investments lately. A group of investors led by Amazon injected $700 million into the company, and Ford is also investing $500 million.
Source: Ride the Lightning podcast via CNN Business
When I tell people I write about cars, the most common reply I receive is “Really?” I guess I never strike people as a car type as I drive down the freeway in the right lane going 60 mph in my old SUV. My gripes about driving in city traffic and fast drivers don’t help my case, either. For a time, the only cars I liked were old cars. Not old as in "classic" or "vintage," but as in well-worn. My first appreciation of cars came when I drove a very old Ford pickup. It wasn't perfect: I used a booster seat to reach the gas pedal, and the turn signal once fell off in my hand as I was learning to drive. But the thing I valued most was the memories. It took several years for me to truly become a "car person." Being a long-time writer and an avid reader has helped me develop a healthy curiosity and a desire to know how things work. This has made cars one of the most fascinating points of study for me because they are such intricate machines. I am interested in how cars can reach 200 mph, how they can run on hydrogen, and how they can drive and park on their own. I also enjoy learning how cars can solve problems whether it be in the form of reducing pollution, minimizing traffic, or helping people stay connected on the road. Yes, maybe I’m not a gearhead. Perhaps I’m a car nerd. Either way, I very much enjoy writing about cars and helping people stay in tune with the automotive industry. I wouldn't want to be writing about anything else. And don’t get me wrong: I know how to drool over a hot car. I am fascinated by the Tesla Model S, awed by the Lamborghini Veneno, and am hopelessly obsessed with the Audi R8.
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