Tesla has had trouble selling Cybertrucks. Credit Elon Musk’s political involvement, recalls, and build quality issues, or perhaps just a lack of demand. Tesla has been offering discounts to try to move Cybertruck inventory. We’re a long way off from when Musk was projecting building 250,000-300,000 per year.
In a bid to spur some interest, Tesla just unveiled a significantly cheaper version on its website, the Cybertruck Long Range. It is a more affordable RWD trim. However, it differs from the RWD Cybertruck that Tesla had promised to deliver.
Key Takeaways
- Tesla has been struggling to sell Cybertrucks
- The brand introduced a cheaper Long Range RWD trim
- It offers 100 miles more range than the RWD trim Tesla promised
- But it’s also $9,000 more expensive
- And it strips a lot of pricey components out of the AWD model
What Is The Tesla Cybertruck Long Range?
The Cybertruck Long Range is a RWD trim. It offers 350 miles of EPA range. You can improve that to 362 miles by adding the $750 soft tonneau cover. Towing capacity drops to 7,500 pounds. Tesla starts the Cybertruck Long Range at $69,990, $10,000 less than the All-Wheel Drive Cybertruck and about the same price as the base model Rivian R1T. With the $1,995 destination charge and the $250 order fee, the base price works out to $72,235. The Cybertruck Long Range is eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit.
Tesla appears to have achieved a lot of cost savings by stripping pricey components of the car. The Cybertruck Long Range sheds the second electric motor and the motorized tonneau cover, swaps in coil springs for an air suspension, has a cheaper seven-speaker sound system, and loses features like the power outlets in the bed and the display for the second-row seats.
The Cybertruck Long Range Is Different Than Tesla Promised
The RWD Cybertruck was supposed to start at $61,000. So, the Cybertruck Long Range is about $9,000 more expensive than proposed. It offers more range than Tesla’s initially planned 250-mile version, suggesting Tesla just kept the same size battery pack as the other Cybertrucks instead of engineering a smaller one.
The Long Range trim is not the only difference from Tesla’s initial Cybertruck plans. Tesla also appears to have killed off or paused plans for the $16,000 range extender for the bed.
TopSpeed’s Take
The Tesla Cybertruck Long Range trim does bring the starting price down significantly (though less than initially anticipated). We’re old enough to remember when Tesla suggested the Cybertruck would start under $40,000. On paper, the new trim should widen the potential buyer pool and generate more interest. This trim could be appealing to a Cybertruck buyer who lives in a warmer climate, just wants the look of the Cybertruck, and has no plans to go off-roading or power tools from the bed.
However, we suspect this trim will be more of a marketing ploy to make the Cybertruck feel less expensive than a compelling trim option. And it may not be a particularly game-changing one, given the myriad headwinds the truck is facing.
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