Tesla Cybertruck mass production slated for next year: report
Tesla electric pickup truck was first announced in 2019
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Tesla reportedly aims to begin mass production of its Cybertruck at the end of next year, Reuters reported, citing two people with knowledge of the plans.
The electric automaker said last month that it was working on readying its Austin, Texas plant to build the new model with "early production" set to start in the middle of 2023.
"We’re in the final lap for Cybertruck," CEO Elon Musk said during a conference call with analysts. The pickup truck was unveiled in 2019.
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Hundreds of thousands of potential buyers paid $100 to reserve the Cybertruck, although final pricing has not been announced.
Tesla's Cybertruck is displayed at Manhattan's Meatpacking District in New York City May 8, 2021. (Reuters/Jeenah Moon / Reuters Photos)
Tesla has not announced final pricing on the Cybertruck, showed the production version of the vehicle or specified how it will manage the battery supply for the new model. In May, Tesla stopped taking orders for the Cybertruck outside of North America.
In 2019, Tesla had projected an initial price of under $40,000, but prices for new vehicles have shot higher since then and Tesla has raised prices across its lineup.
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Musk said that the stainless steel electric pickup will be somewhat seaworthy.
"Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy," he tweeted in September.
Close up of Tesla logo on a charger at a Supercharger rapid battery charging station for the electric vehicle company Tesla Motors, in the Silicon Valley town of Mountain View, California, Aug. 24, 2016. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)
It is also unclear how the company will manage battery supply for the new model.
The company has previously pushed back production and Musk cited shortages in sourcing components as the reason for pushing the launch in January.
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"We are expecting to be, still expecting to be in production with the Cybertruck in the middle of next year," Musk said on an earnings call in July. "And we're very, very excited about that product. I think it might actually be our best product ever."
A man takes a picture with Tesla's Cybertruck at Manhattan's Meatpacking District in New York City May 8, 2021. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
It was the second consecutive earnings call that Musk offered the mid-2023 date.
Reuters and FOX Business' Gary Gastelu contributed to this report.