The Tesla Cybertruck has been delayed so many times that it’s impossible to keep track of when it’s coming out (or if it’s coming out). The latest news has it beginning production in the first quarter of 2023. While Tesla has an earnings call scheduled for January 26, it’s possible that we won’t get any real Tesla Cybertruck news until March. Yet rumor has it that Tesla is in the process of designing a smaller, younger sibling to the Cybertruck. Could Tesla really be making new trucks when it hasn’t even put the first one out?

Tesla may be designing a smaller Cybertruck

Rumor has it that Tesla is designing a smaller Cybertruck that looks – well, an awful lot like the original Tesla Cybertruck. It’s metallic and angular, and just a little bit smaller than its bigger sibling. Trip Chowdry of Global Equities Research says that the new Cybertruck will be 15 to 20 percent smaller than the first Cybertruck. According to CarBuzz, Elon Musk said in 2019, “We’ll probably make an international version that’s smaller. It will still be [cool], it will just be smaller, because you can’t just make a giant truck like that for international markets.”

Chowdry says that we’ll see this new, smaller Cybertruck in March of 2022, during a virtual event. It’s likely that the January 26 earnings call won’t give a lot of information about either Tesla Cybertruck.

The original Cybertruck is delayed until 2023

The Tesla Cybertruck has faced many setbacks and delays in the last year or so. Originally, it was going to begin production in 2021, which was then moved to early 2022. Then that date was changed to later in 2022. Recently it was revealed that we likely won’t see the Tesla Cybetruck until at least the first quarter of 2023.

So why does Tesla keep pushing back the Tesla Cybertruck release date? It’s possible that Tesla wants to “tweak” the Tesla Cybertruck before it comes out. Other car manufacturers are releasing highly competitive electric pickup trucks and Tesla has never been an auto maker to sit back and let other vehicles be more advanced.

How does the smaller Cybertruck impact the original?

Understandably, people are confused by the possibility of a second Tesla Cybertruck when the first one hasn’t even come out. Sure, as Musk said, a smaller truck may be ideal for an international market. Yet with the Cybertruck’s production being repeatedly pushed back, and reservation holders waiting for their electric trucks, perhaps a second truck thrown into the mix won’t go over as well as anticipated. In addition, Tesla is still taking reservations for the Cybertruck, although it has removed details like pricing from the Tesla website.

Would a newer, smaller Cybertruck impact the production of the first Cybertruck? There’s no word on that yet. Will investors be more likely to jump on the new Cybertruck, or will potential customers be inclined to put down deposits on a smaller, more conventional electric truck? It’s possible.

It’s worth noting that Tesla has other vehicles that are still in the pre-production phase, despite having been announced years ago. Both the Tesla Roadster and Semi have yet to make it past the concept stage, and we’re still waiting to find out exactly when that will happen. So what does a smaller Tesla Cybertruck mean for the ‘real’ Cybertruck? We’re just going to have to wait and see.