Three years ago this month, Elon Musk debuted the crazy Tesla Cybertruck. 2020 was when it was to begin production. Then, in 2021. Now we’re hearing it will go into production next year. Maybe. And with all of this bait-and-switch launch date confusion, one potential buyer, anxious to get his Cybertruck sooner than whenever, chose instead to make his own. The Cybertruck you’re looking at is a home-built representation. 

The Cybertruck has found global demand, with places like Russia and Bosnia seeing crude copies of the pickup. Now comes this more accurate home built in India. With the chances of a Cybertruck landing outside of the U.S. being almost zero, enthusiasts from other countries are best to hew one rather than waiting on a real one. 

That’s what this crafty builder in western India chose to do. Though the disadvantages to doing this far outweigh the advantages, there are some pluses in a DIY Cybertruck. First, you can tweak it here or there to your liking. Then there is the likelihood of making it for far less than purchasing one from Tesla. 

Is this copy electric powered?

The video has no information, but looking at what is there you can see that this is a Cybertruck in body only. Built on an existing frame, probably from a truck, in all likelihood it is gasoline or diesel-powered. That means it is not electric-powered, but rather a Cybertruck in looks only.

The body looks good from the outside. You can see the pockets ready for the headlights and taillights. Inside, there is no bed, nor are there interior panels. So this is definitely under construction. In fact, there is only one front seat and no steering column. Just bar stock with a steering gear at one end and a steering wheel on the other. 

And the reason we can see that so well is that there is no windshield. Or maybe it is slid back into the top. It is hard to tell. Maybe it is like a safari window but on rollers instead of hinges. But the top skin looks like it was blown back. Maybe there was an issue that popped the windshield out and ripped the top back. 

When is the real Cybertruck expected now?

The good thing when constructing your own Cybertruck is that you only need a sheet brake to make the body. With flat body panels and hard edges, there is no need to form compound shapes into the panels. So with so many enterprising fabricators around the globe, we expect to see more Cybertruck creations continue to pop up.

As for the Cybertruck itself, we’ve given up guessing when its day will arrive. Tesla has a history of projecting delivery dates for new vehicles only to not be able to hit the mark. The latest is that deliveries should be forthcoming before the end of 2023.