Elon Musk Shares A Look At Cybertruck Production Candidate

If all goes well, Tesla will hold a special event in the ongoing quarter to mark the first delivery of its long-awaited Cybertruck. With production already in full swing, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a "production candidate" version of the vehicle for a ride and shared an image on X, formerly known as Twitter. The truck looks polished and primed for a market release, and barring any last-minute changes, this could be what the finished product looks like. A release candidate (or production candidate) is the version that is being tested for certification and validation, and it is the closest to the final production-ready build. In its Q2 2023 investor update, Tesla confirmed that testing was already underway in all markets where the Cybertruck is targeting an official launch.

Just drove the production candidate Cybertruck at Tesla Giga Texas! pic.twitter.com/S0kCyGUBFD

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2023

With a few weeks left until the first deliveries begin, starting with employees, the Cybertruck has been appearing on roads in multiple locations across the globe. It was recently spotted on a glacier in Iceland for what appears to be a promotion video shoot session, for example. 

@elonmusk @Tesla Cybertruck at the glacier. pic.twitter.com/GWSJqNvkYc

— CRAR (@carlosRdeA) August 19, 2023

The Cybertruck has been beset with multiple delays over the years and was once relegated to the vaporware category. Fortunately, Tesla has dramatically boosted its production capabilities over the past few quarters and inched closer to a volumetrically meaningful release schedule. But it appears that buyers won't have an easy time getting their hands on the Cybertruck once deliveries actually commence.

According to a crowd-sourced data tracker, the Cybertruck has amassed close to 1.9 million reservations. Considering Tesla's current plans to produce 375,000 Cybertrucks per year, it would take more than five years for enthusiasts in the most recent batch of reservations to get their ride shipped. Over the coming quarters, the numbers could go up as Tesla boosts production figures. "Demand is so far off the hook, you can't even see the hook," Elon Musk said during a recent investor call. Analysts are so bullish as to claim that Tesla will surpass the 10-million-delivery-units mark by 2030 and will also see the stock price triple by then.

But for a non-Tesla enthusiast who hasn't reserved a unit yet, booking the uniquely designed electric truck is like shooting an arrow in the dark at the moment, despite Musk's promises of unparalleled performance and the advanced tech inside. Tesla originally set an asking price of $39,900 for the Cybertruck's base RWD model with roughly 250 miles range, climbing up to $69,900 for the triple motor AWD trim that delivers over 500 miles on a single charge. However, Tesla has scrubbed all mention of the Cybertruck trims and pricing on its official website. Musk has hinted that the final asking price will be higher, with some analysts putting the sticker price close to $50,000. "It's going to be hard to make [it] affordable because it is a new car, a new manufacturing method," Musk said earlier this year.