People don’t want to buy the Cybertruck, survey finds

After the first delivery event of Tesla’s Cybertruck, a new survey found that Tesla might have trouble finding buyers for the angular vehicle.

According to a survey from financial services firm Canaccord Genuity, 67 percent of respondents said “no” to the question of whether they would buy the Cybertruck after pricing and more details about the truck were revealed. Thirty-three percent responded “yes.” 

Canaccord hasn’t shared the number of people surveyed, but none of the respondents were those who placed a reservation for a Cybertruck. Canaccord analyst George Gianarikas told Yahoo Finance that two-thirds of survey takers not wanting the vehicle was actually a lot better than they expected. Gianarikas added that in discussions about the truck, a common theme is that the look of the Cybertruck “gets people excited or revolts people.”

Tesla itself seemed to prepare for unideal reception of its unique vehicle. Last month, the automaker added—then walked back—a clause saying that Tesla could sue Cybertruck buyers for $50,000 or more if they resold their car within the first year of owning it without written permission. Some pondered if the clause had to do with scalpers, risk of people reverse engineering the truck or fear of buyers’ remorse. 

Cost could influence people’s interest in the truck. The survey was carried out after Tesla shared pricing details for the truck, which vary by the version of Cybertruck purchased. 

The entry level version has a 250-mile range and starts at $60,990. For an all-wheel drive with 340-mile range and 600 horsepower, buyers will pay $79,990. A “Cyberbeast” version with a tri-motor setup with 845 horsepower and a lower mile range of 320 goes for $99,990. 

It’s a deviation from early plans for the truck. When it was unveiled in 2019, Tesla said it would start at $39,900. 

Four years and several delay announcements later, the Cybertruck finally held a delivery event at its Austin gigafactory last week to show off the trapezoidal-shaped trucks. Spectators noticed details inside and out, including that it lacks rearview mirrors and is designed with two touchscreens: an 18.5-inch one in the front and 9.4 in the back. It also has a front-facing camera for drivers to see out on the road and has a 15-speaker sound system. 

The next project for Tesla seems to be an affordable car for the masses. During an interview about the Cybertruck on Tuesday, Musk briefly talked about a “low-cost” EV that Tesla is working on. 

“We are quite far advanced in that work. I review the production line plans for that every week,” Musk said. “I think that the revolution in manufacturing that will be represented by that car will blow people’s minds.”

If Tesla’s low-cost EV inspires awe upon its release, it will achieve something the Cybertruck seemingly has not so far.