Tesla's electric Cybertruck, Elon Musk's take on a pickup truck, was unveiled to much fanfare, and debate, last week. Now Musk claims he has already hooked 200,000 interested customers.
Preorders on the truck, which is scheduled to hit the production line in two years, began last Thursday. The 200,000 sign-ups Musk tweeted about have so far only placed a down payment to reserve a spot in line for the vehicle.
Musk, who has been talking about the Cybertruck for some time, called it "an armored personnel carrier from the future." But some of the features on the demo model didn't quite live up to expectations at the unveiling.
During the "Armor Glass" demonstration, Tesla's chief designer Franz von Holzhausen hit the frame with a sledgehammer to prove it wouldn't cause a dent. He then threw a metal ball at the supposedly shatterproof glass windows, which shattered, not once, but two separate times. In response to the mishap, Musk shared a video, which he says was filmed before the launch, that shows the windows surviving a hit from a metal ball.
Shares of Tesla ($TSLA) fell after the truck's windows shattered on stage Thursday, but rose early Monday again after Musk tweeted "200k," referring to the deposits Tesla received for the Cybertruck. Over the weekend Musk also tweeted that most people involved in preordering indicated that they would opt for the highest pricepoint triple-motor option at $69,900 or the mid-priced dual-engine option. At the time, he said only 17 percent of preorders were for the cheapest, single-motor option.
The unconventionally-shaped truck is made from cold-rolled stainless steel, matching SpaceX's Starship rocket, which is another Musk venture, and Tesla says its most powerful model will be able to tow 14,000 pounds.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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