Tesla 'Cybertruck' Pickup Pre-Orders Hit 187,000, Elon Musk Confirms

Tesla’s newly unveiled Cybertruck despite the botched up “window durability test” has amassed $20 million in pre-order collections as the number surged to 200k as has been confirmed by CEO Elon Musk.

Musk had been continually updating the pre-order numbers since Saturday.

According to CNBC, one of Musk’s earlier tweets had mixed up orders with pre-orders. The latter is different from the final commitment to purchase the Cybertruck.

The first tweet said: “146k Cybertruck orders so far, with 42% choosing dual, 41% tri & 17% single motor.”

On Sunday afternoon Musk said Tesla received 187,000 “orders” for its Cybertruck. The order soared again on Sunday night as Musk tweeted: “200k.”

During the unveiling in Los Angeles on Friday Musk tried to showcase Cybertruck’s durability by hurling a metal ball on the glass windows. But the window ended up cracking while one more ball-throw smashed the other window as well. It was a big embarrassment although it had a jovial undertone.

Strong marketing

The pre-order surge shows Tesla’s marketing game has been strong on the Cybertruck whose shape is like a big metallic trapezoid.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk made another effort to show off the Cybertruck’s strength and durability. In a tweet on Sunday, Musk showed off a video that displayed the Cybertruck hauling away a sturdy Ford F150 up the hill, per NBC news.

The Cybertruck is Tesla’s sixth electric vehicle model since the company’s inception in 2003. The base price is touted as $39,900 with a single-motor version and battery range of 250+ while the tri-motor version with a range of 500+ miles will sell at $69,900. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2021, but the tri-motor version will start a bit late.

The potential competitors Cybertruck will include the fast-selling pickups like the Ford F Series and General Motor’s Chevrolet Silverado. The Amazon backed Rivian will also pose a challenge to Tesla truck in the market when the former is ready with its electric trucks in another one year.

Cheapest pre-order

Tesla's angular electric pickup has the cheapest pre-order fees with a mere $100 as a deposit. Tesla says the money is fully refundable for prospective customers.

By comparison, the pre-order process of Tesla’s upcoming crossover SUV, Model Y requires customers to pay a hefty $2,500 as a deposit. Even the mass sedan Tesla Model 3 in the pre-orders sought $1,000 via initial deposit.

The Pre-Order Agreement on Tesla’s website for the Cybertruck says the final purchase of Bladerunner-inspired electric truck will require customers to take a few more steps.

After the pre-order screening, Tesla will call the future buyer to complete the configuration of the desired vehicle. The vehicle configuration part will be followed by final price sheet acceptance based on the model and options selected.

Tesla stock was down 6.1 percent on Friday’s trading.