Tesla Cancels RWD CyberTuck

 

Tesla Finally Cancels RWD CyberTuck

Good Riddance, To Bad Rubbish

Tesla cancelled the Rear Wheel Drive CyberTruck, and I say, good riddance, to bad rubbish!!! Coming out with such a joke of a vehicle was probably Tesla's greatest blunder to date, right up there with the Fabergé egg Falcon Wing Doors on the Model X. If you are a reader of Jake's Tesla World, you may already be familiar with my review of the specs for the 2WD CyberTruck, I published back in April named "My Take on the New Rear Wheel Drive CyberTruck: A HUGE & PATHETIC Step Backward." In that detailed article I delineated in great detail, how and why Tesla poured gasoline all over the CyberTruck fire by introducing such a pathetically stripped down model.

I want to set the record straight. I am the president of the Tesla Fan Club. I believe Teslas are the best cars ever made, and I strongly believe the CyberTruck is by far and away the best designed vehicle ever brought to market. That beings said, Tesla made many blunderous mistakes with the launch of the CyberTruck. First and foremost, they overpromised and underdelivered. Why? For what reason??? They got greedy and overconfident, and instead of investing ahead of the curve, they ended up driving it into the ground. 

Tesla could have EASILY delivered on every Cybertruck promise—price, range, everything. With over a million preorders, sticking to the original $39,900-$69,900 prices could’ve led to 300,000+ sales instead of just 46,000. At an average of $54,000 per truck, that’s $16 billion in revenue, not the $4 billion from selling fewer at $86,000 each. That’s $12 billion missed! They’d own the EV truck market, keep customers thrilled, and maintain huge demand, making up for any short-term profit hit with massive long-term success.

That's the bad news, and so much for looking in the rear-view mirror. The great news is I am certain Tesla can recover from these EPIC blunders, and here is how:

It's Time to Simplify The CyberTruck

First, discontinue the CyberBeast, which is unnecessary and accounts for less than 10% of sales and production. The front motor in the CyberBeast is always engaged, causing excessive noise and vibration. In contrast, the AWD CyberTuck has the rear motor always engaged, resulting in significantly reduced noise.

Similar to the Plaid Model S and X, the CyberBeast is a cash grab that prioritizes symbolism over substance—appealing to those with more dollars than sense. Tesla should focus on delivering great value and delight, not on flashy, impractical performance that no one truly needs or uses. It’s ironic these overpriced 'Plaid' and 'Beast' models perform best when using Full Self-Driving (FSD), which actually slows them down significantly. 

Tesla should make one vehicle named the CyberTruck. Focus on optimizing every aspect of its performance, luxury, and range. In other words, I am certain Tesla can get the 0-60 MPH down to 3.5 seconds in the AWD, and I am certain they can boost the range to 500 miles—easily. 

This is what people want—not a stripped-down 'Where's the beef' CyberMut with cloth seats, or an external battery in the bed that destroys 1/3 of the bed capacity!?!!

Tesla should work on upgrading the interior of the CyberTruck by fixing the ultra-HORRIBLE rearview mirror system and enhancing the interior by adding massage seats. So long as the CyberTruck is sold with a steering wheel, add back the turning indicator stalk and add a screen in front of the steering wheel like the current S and X have.

Also, if you have watched the evolution of all Tesla models on Tesla.com in relation to vehicle ordering options, you will notice they have kept simplifying and limiting options, and discontinuing the Plaid models and Beast would be a natural extension of this logic...Simplify, Simplify, Simplify...

No Such Thing as Free Supercharging 

Here is what Elon and Tesla don't get: The reason why people want a CyberTruck is because they want the best truck ever made, and I believe they are willing to pay for it. As an example, if Tesla offered a 500-mile range CyberTruck with a turning stalk and a screen above the steering wheel, along with massage seats, I would gladly pay $100K for it. What I don't want is to have a 'Luxe' package crammed down my throat, that costs an extra $15K, that includes FSD prepaid for 6.5 years, along with 'Free' Supercharging I will never use. 

I don't know what the actual metrics are for 'free' supercharging utilization, but I am certain it has long been a profit center for Tesla. In other words, on the multiple Tesla models I have owned, that came with 'free' supercharging, I probably used less than $1000 worth of electricity, as I typically charge at home, as do the vast majority of customers. Tesla knows this, but apparently thinks we are stupid. Also, the 'Free' Supercharging is only extended to the original owner, and is not included when the car is resold, so if you buy a Tesla today with 'free' lifetime supercharging, you essentially pay $5k for it, but if you sell or trade in the car a year or two later, that $5K you paid disappears. 

I've said it before, and I will say it again, I believe the CyberTruck is the best car ever made in the world to date, but the real question, is it the best version of itself, and the answer is no. Tesla ran the ball down to the 2-yard line and stopped, which was a terrible mistake. My advice to Tesla is to make the CyberTruck the absolute best version it can be of itself and leave it at that.

If you want to learn much more about my thoughts on the future of Tesla and the Cyber Platform, just continue on and check out the next three stories that I published before this one.