Tesla’s Cybertruck is widely viewed as an “unmitigated” commercial disaster, but that hasn’t stopped the company from deploying a variety of sales gimmicks to try to squeeze just a little more money out of the flop vehicle.
This week, Tesla launched a new version of its most expensive Cybertruck variants, known as the “Cyberbeast.” Tesla has marketed the “beast” as its most heavy-duty, high-powered variant, and originally promoted it with a video of the truck towing a Porsche while also racing a Porsche—and winning. The company was subsequently accused of faking the race.
When the “beast” was first announced back in November of 2023, it cost $99,990, which was $10,000 more than Tesla’s previously announced all-wheel drive model. Now, the company has hiked the beast’s price by $15,000, but added a few new features to justify the substantial increase. What do you get for that chunk of change?
Reuters reports that the newest version of the Cyberbeast includes something called the “Luxe Package.” This package includes a number of benefits, including Supervised Full Self-Driving, as well as four years of “premium service,” which includes tire and windshield protection and other services. You also apparently get free charging at Tesla’s network of 70,000 supercharging stations. The car now costs $114,990, the outlet says.
It seems likely that the demographic most likely to buy a Cybertruck already has so much money that they don’t really know what to do with it. After all, who else would drop six figures on a car that looks like an armored dumpster? Maybe Tesla presumes that its target audience has so much money and so little sense that another $15k won’t really matter to them, so why not try to bilk the customers for just a little bit more?
Since its launch, the Cybertruck has obviously struggled to find its footing. According to reports, Tesla originally planned for a production capacity of 250,000 trucks per year but sold less than 40,000 units in 2024, according to estimates from Cox Automotive. Since then, the model has limped along with anemic sales, and reportedly sold some 7,100 during the first quarter of this year. The car has been called a “flop,” a “failure,” and “the stupidest vehicle ever designed,” among other things.
Read the full article here
