Strange Photo of the First Tesla Cybertruck From Texas Shows Possible Issues
Even though the Tesla Cybertruck has “officially entered production,” the cartoon electric truck feels more like a punchline than a real vehicle at this point. All cynicism aside, Tesla released a photo of the first production Tesla Cybertruck surrounded by the factory’s employees that built it. The weird thing about the photo is that, despite the years of skepticism surrounding the viability of the Cybertruck, this photo barely has the Cybertruck in it. Even stranger still, some internet sleuths think they have spotted a production problem already and some other interesting clues.
The photo of the first Tesla Cybertruck is bizarre
First Cybertruck built at Giga Texas! ? pic.twitter.com/ODRhHVsd0t
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 15, 2023
Everyone is pointing out that it’s been over 1,300 days since the Cybertruck debuted. All that time, and we are just now getting a heavily obscured image of the first production truck. Although the jokes basically write themselves, the fact is, Tesla says there is at least one Cybertruck that is ready for the real world. But this photo isn’t as damning to the Tesla haters as it might seem at first glance.
Before we even get to the strangest parts of the photo, we must address that the first photo of the Cybertruck is almost completely obscured by the team that built it. This feels strange. Why continue to obscure a truck that debuted years ago? Why hide the details of the build? Either this is some 4D chess marketing move to create more newsy drama, or something else is going on here. We still don’t have the information to comment decisively on this question, but given the many delays and obscured details of the Tesla Cybertruck production, literally, anything is on the table.
What is going on with the doors of the first Cybertruck?
Some sharp-eyed writers at Autoevolution did some spy-show “zoom and enhance” work to spot a possible answer to why the truck might be so obscured. In a zoomed and cropped version of the photo, Autoevolution alleges that it appears as if the passenger side door isn’t properly aligned with the rear passenger door of the truck. Unless this is a camera angle trick, this would bode pretty badly for the production of the new truck.
It’s important to note that quality control issues such as this are not without precedence from Tesla. There have been plenty of examples of poorly-finished Teslas being delivered to customers. One woman got a tesla model 3 with no brake pads. Other examples of quality issues include steering wheels falling off, colling systems being trimmed with wood scraps, and body panels not properly aligning. It’s issues like this that set off alarm bells when we see this photo.
Before we press any further, it is worth mentioning that this photo wasn’t sent to the press or even on Tesla’s website; it was Tweeted. Game recognize game. You’d think Tesla would want to make sure the first truck was perfect, especially when it would be so featured on the CEO’s personal social media site.
What else can we see in the photo of the Cybertruck?
The truck we see here is wearing the unpainted DeLorean-looking steel body, as we would expect. After all, Musk previously said that customers can have the Cybertruck in any color they want “so long as it’s nothing.”
Another thing spotted in the photo is the infamous “giga wiper.” The photo suggests that this giant single windshield wiper is ready for production. Granted, there is no telling how replacing a wiper like this will go for drivers. I guess that’s TBD.
Despite the many, many attempts to convince the public that the Tesla Cybertruck is a game-changing platform, serious buyers should do their homework. Tesla’s marketing schemes are compelling, but the facts are the Cybertruck has already experienced many production issues, the “bulletproof windows” are completely unproven, and engineers claim the “state-of-the-art” chassis is no more than slightly modified Model Y underpinnings.
The Tesla Cybertruck is an inspired bit of car design. We need more properly original car designs in the world. For that, we are very grateful for the Cybertruck. But the lack of transparency and seemingly endless onslaught of issues followed by this weird first photo is making anyone paying close attention a little uneasy.
For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens. This first one could be a test run. Maybe the machines need a tweak? Who knows? This is the story of Cybertruck.
