If you thought the Tesla Cybertruck couldn’t get weirder, hold onto your laser windshield wipers, because Tesla is at it again. In a recent interview with Top Gear, Tesla’s VP of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, let slip that the company is “thinking about” a more compact Cybertruck. While he made clear that nothing is officially in the works, he also didn’t shut the idea down. In Tesla-speak, that’s as close to a press release as you’re going to get.
It’s not hard to see why Tesla might want to shrink the stainless-steel behemoth. There is something about the dimensions of the Cybertruck that lands somewhere in the uncanny valley. It just doesn’t quite look right. As Moravy explained, “There is interest in a smaller [truck]… even in the U.S.” That’s engineer-speak for people want this, and in Tesla’s case, that includes a global market that hasn’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for a 6,800-pound sci-fi doorstop.
Size Matters
A smaller Cybertruck could actually solve a handful of problems the original created. For one, parking it without knocking over a mailbox would be a welcome perk. The current version is longer than a Chevy Suburban and about as subtle as a jackhammer at a poet’s funeral. It barely fits in normal garages, can’t legally be sold in several countries due to pedestrian safety concerns, and struggles to live up to the performance promised in the pre-launch hype cycle that feels like it started in Obama’s first term.
Downsizing would also make the truck cheaper, which could broaden its appeal beyond the tech-bro-meets-Doomsday crowd. At nearly $100,000 for the “Cyberbeast” variant, the full-size Cybertruck isn’t just niche—it’s hyperniche, like cyberpunk Mad Max cosplay for Silicon Valley parking lots.
Meme Truck, Meet Reality
Here’s the thing: the Cybertruck stopped being a truck before it ever became one. It’s a meme now. A cultural artifact. The punchline of a joke that Tesla accidentally told too well. When Elon Musk unveiled the truck in 2019 with an unbreakable window that instantly shattered, the Cybertruck ascended the mortal realm into the lofty height of legend. And not because it was good.
And in fairness, absurdity sells. Just ask the legions of fans who put down deposits based on that first reveal—people who wanted to drive a low-poly hallucination from a PS1 game through the real world. But when the actual truck arrived, it was heavier, slower, more expensive, and less capable than promised. The real Cybertruck simply couldn’t live up to the mythology. A smaller, more practical version could actually reset expectations, bringing the design into something resembling usefulness.
TopSpeed’s Take
A baby Cybertruck might be just what Tesla needs to save face, if that is still possible—and maybe even sell some trucks to people who don’t live on Twitter. It could keep the cool factor while ditching the baggage of its oversized predecessor. Small trucks are in, despite the Cybertruck suffering an embarrassing launch and even more embarrassing first year of production. And hey, if they screw it up again? At least we’ll get another great meme out of it.
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