Tesla Cybertruck is a mistake turned marketing tool
I think Cybertruck was a mistake for Tesla as it created this gap in growth for the company, but the automaker is making the most out of it as it turns the electric pickup truck into a marketing tool.
Tesla never had a dud. All its vehicle programs were successful in their own rights, some even wildly successful.
It’s too early to say if the Cybertruck is also going to be successful. It is enjoying a large reservation backlog, but it will be interesting to see how the demand holds once the vehicle’s production is ramped up.
But even once it is ramped up, Tesla is only talking about producing roughly 250,000 Cybertrucks per year.
It’s not nothing, but it also doesn’t significantly move the needle.
In fact, I would argue that Cybertruck has created what Tesla is describing as a break in its “waves of growth.” The first wave was the ramp-up of Model 3/Y and the next one is expected to be the ramp-up of Tesla’s upcoming next-generation vehicles starting in late 2025.
Tesla used to grow deliveries at a rate of roughly 50% per year, which is absolutely incredible for a major automaker.
Now, the growth has slowed greatly (20% as of last quarter), and Tesla has confirmed that it should be down throughout 2024. That’s obvious. Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y are almost maxed out, and the automaker only has Cybertruck to add to the lineup in 2024.
I would argue that Tesla would have been better off focusing its resources on its next-gen vehicles, the “$25,000 Tesla” and “robotaxi” throughout the last few years, to shorten the gap between its two growth phases.
If Tesla had brought the next-gen vehicles to market instead of the Cybertruck, it would have likely cut this break in growth by over a year.
Now, we likely can’t expect Tesla to return to 50% growth in deliveries until at least 2026.
But I have to admit, Tesla is making the best out of it. Again, I’m not saying the Cybertruck can’t be a successful vehicle program in itself. It’s too early to tell, but it could very well become one.
The production version of the Cybertruck is disappointing in many ways. It’s way more expensive than originally announced, it has a shorter range and requires an “extended range” battery pack that takes up a big part of the bed to get meaningful towing range.
On the other hand, it also introduces some cool technologies, like steer-by-wire and a 48-volt electrical system, and albeit polarizing, the novel design has attracted a lot of fans – and Tesla seems to be doubling down on that.
Hate it or love it, the Cybertruck is getting a ton of attention, and Tesla is utilizing it.
We reported that the unveiling of the Cybertruck alone already helped the sales of Tesla’s other vehicles by bringing people who were hearing about or getting interested in Tesla for the first time into the stores.
The Cybertruck rollout was also unique for Tesla. Before even starting deliveries, Tesla started to bring the vehicle in showrooms around the US. That’s unprecedented for Tesla. Again, it brought people into the showrooms, where Tesla tried to sell them its other electric vehicles.
Now, you can argue that it is still useful to have the Cybertruck in showrooms for reservation holders to come see it in person before moving forward with their orders.
However, Tesla even brought the Cybertruck to showrooms in Canada, where Tesla has yet to open orders.
Furthermore, the automaker brought Cybertruck on a tour in China and Japan, where we have no idea when or even if the Cybertruck will be available. The goal is again to bring people in stores and sell them Tesla’s other vehicles.
Therefore, it’s clear that Tesla is using the Cybertruck as a marketing tool, and at least so far, it definitely has a bigger impact that way than on its own with deliveries.
Electrek’s take
Again, I’m not saying that Cybertruck is a bad vehicle program. All I am saying is that it looks like it was a mistake to focus on it rather than Tesla’s next-generation vehicles.
It looks like for Tesla’s mission and shareholder value, it would have been better off spending the resources on bringing the next-gen vehicles to market a bit sooner. The difference over a few years would likely have been in the hundreds of thousands of vehicles.
Now, to be fair, even if Tesla’s growth is only about 15-20% this year, it’s still impressive for a major automaker entering the year with a production rate of about 2 million vehicles per year.
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The Dodge Charger Daytona EV made headlines when it rolled out fake engine noises as a way to make the EV appeal to muscle car drivers. As it turns out, they weren’t the right sort of fake engine noises – and now Stellantis has to recall 8,000 of them for a fix.
According to the ChryCo fans at Mopar Insider, Stellantis is recalling ~8,390 examples of its 2024 to 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EVs because of an exterior amplifier that may be missing critical enabling the amp to emit exterior sounds – including the Federally mandated pedestrian warning sounds designed to keep pedestrians safe.
What’s more, the recall’s “suspect period” reportedly begins on 30APR2024, when the first 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona was produced, and ends 18MAR2025 … when the last Charger EV was produced.
RECALL CHRONOLOGY
- On April 17, 2025, the FCA US LLC (“FCA US”) Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance (“TSRC”) organization opened an investigation into certain 2024–2025 model year Dodge Charger vehicles that may not emit exterior sound.
- From April 17, 2025, through May 13, 2025, FCA US TSRC met with FCA US Engineering and the supplier to understand all potential failure modes associated with the issue. They also reviewed warranty data, field records, and customer assistance records to determine field occurrences.
- On May 14, 2025, the FCA US TSRC organization determined that a vehicle build issue existed on certain vehicles related to a lack of EV exterior sound, potentially resulting in noncompliance with FMVSS No. 141.
Without the software patch, the vehicles don’t comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 141, “Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.” The rule requires noisemakers for EVs and hybrids when operating under 19 mph, the safest speeds for pedestrians.
Basically, if you have a Dodge Charger EV, expect to get a recall notice.
It just keeps getting funnier
If you’re not familiar with the Charger Daytona EV’s “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” it’s a system that employs a combination of digital sound synthesis and a physical tuning chamber (translation: a speaker) to produce a 126 decibel sound that approximately imitates a Hellcat Hemi V8 ICE. That’s loud enough to cause most people physical pain, according to Yale University – putting it somewhere between a loud rock concert and a passenger jet at takeoff.
While you could argue that such noises are part and parcel with powerful combustion, they’re completely irrelevant to an EV, and speak to a particular sort of infantile delusion of masculinity that I, frankly, have never been able to wrap my head around. Something akin to the, “Hey, look at me! I’m a big tough guy!” attention-whoring of a suburban Harley rider in a “Sons of Anarchy” novelty cut, without even enough courage to ride a motorcycle, you know?
You know – and I bet you can help me dial in the the comparison to perfection (and help me explain why the car just isn’t selling) in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: Mopar Insiders; featured image by Stellantis.
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Is it an electric van or a truck? The Kia PV5 might be in a class of its own. Kia’s electric van was recently spotted charging in public with an open bed, and it looks like a real truck.
Kia’s electric van morphs into a truck with an open bed
The PV5 is the first of a series of electric vans as part of Kia’s new Platform Beyond Vehicle business (PBV). Kia claims the PBVs are more than vans, they are “total mobility solutions,” equipped with Hyundai’s advanced software.
Based on the flexible new EV platform, E-GMP.S, Kia has several new variants in the pipeline, including camper vans, refrigerated trucks, luxury “Prime” models for passenger use, and an open bed model.
Kia launched the PV5 Passenger and Cargo in the UK earlier this year for business and personal use. We knew more were coming, but now we are getting a look at a new variant in public.
Although we got a brief glimpse of it earlier this month driving by in Korea, Kia’s electric van was spotted charging in public with an open bed.
The folks at HealerTV found the PV5 variant with an open bed parked in Korea, offering us a good look from all angles.
From the front, it resembles the Passenger and Cargo variants, featuring slim vertical LED headlights. However, from the side, it’s an entirely different vehicle. The truck sits low to the ground, similar to the one captured driving earlier this month.
When you look at it from the back, you can’t even tell it’s the PV5. It looks like any other cargo truck with an open bed.
The PV5 open bed measures 5,000 mm in length, 1,900 mm in width, and 2,000 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm. Although Kia has yet to say how big the bed will be, the reporter mentions it doesn’t look that deep, but it’s wide enough to carry a good load.
The open bed will be one of several PV5 variants that Kia plans to launch in Europe and Korea later this year, alongside the Passenger, Cargo, and Chassis Cab configurations.
In Europe, the PV5 Passenger is available with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, providing WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant is rated with a WLTP range of 181 miles or 247 miles.
Kia will reveal battery specs closer to launch for the open bed variant, but claims it “has the longest driving range among compact commercial EVs in its class.”
In 2027, Kia will launch the larger PV7, followed by an even bigger PV9 in 2029. There’s also a smaller PV1 in the works, which is expected to arrive sometime next year or in 2027.
What do you think of Kia’s electric van? Will it be a game changer? With plenty of variants on the way, it has a good chance. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: HealerTV
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