To say the design of the Tesla Cybertruck is polarizing is like saying everybody likes puppies. Whether by design (no pun) or some other Elon Musk-y reason, the unveiling of the truck has been nothing if not negative, except for one thing; within two days of the unveiling, Musk has tweeted that he has over 200,000 orders. While there has been an extreme amount of backlash, will Tesla change the Cybertruck’s design after all of the backlashes?

To some degree, yes. Every vehicle goes through an evolution during its development so there will surely be changes made to the Cybertruck. Some for safety reasons. Some for manufacturing considerations. And also some just because they can. 

Some design change will be needed for the Cybertruck

Tesla will have to change things to meet federal regulations for pedestrian impact protection and crash standards. Also, for things like side mirrors, though it may use cameras to inform the driver of his/her surroundings. Side marker or running lights is another item. 

It may also choose to put some crown in those very flat panels in an attempt to use thinner material. As seen, the body panels are 0.12-inch stainless steel. That’s thick, which means it’s heavy. A heavy truck is not very environmental. Musk started his reveal speech by saying the world needs sustainable transportation. So, if that is the motivation for the production of the Cybertruck then it needs to be lighter. 

Cybertruck’s biggest problem is not design but weight

Designing a little bit of crown into the panels makes them stronger. They would not have to be as thick to contain the same strength and resistance. But keep in mind that weight is a big problem for Tesla and the Cybertruck going forward.

Franz von Holzhausen is the chief of Tesla design, and besides the current Tesla crop, he also penned the Pontiac Solstice. He hasn’t lost his mind or design chops. The Cybertruck is definitely designed this way for many reasons, and it will be interesting to get the word on why it looks like it does down the road.

Musk has strong opinions about the Cybertruck

Here’s what Musk said recently in an interview in Vox, “I actually don’t know if a lot of people will buy this pickup truck or not, but I don’t care. I mean I do care, eventually, you know. Like sure, I care. I want to get gasoline, diesel pickups off of the road.”

If the Cybertruck was not received well, here’s what Musk said, “If there’s only a small number of people that like that truck, I guess we’ll make a more conventional truck in the future. But it’s the thing that I am personally most fired up about.” 

With 200,000 pre-orders only minimal changes will happen

From a business standpoint, you would have to be open to making changes based on public reception. Now, with the reveal just a few days ago and orders reaching over 200,000 at $100-per order, Tesla’s biggest problem will be manufacturing that many trucks, not how it will be received. 

Some companies see polarizing products as being too risky. It would seem that Tesla sees controversy as the basis for creating a compelling product. One that will stand out and be desirable for that reason alone. It seems to have worked in the case of the Cybertruck.