Cyberwhat now?
Ford cautioned expectations about the electric vehicle business on the automaker’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday, saying customers are “unwilling to pay premiums” for the products and that the adoption rate is going to be slower than expected. But CEO Jim Farley has very high hopes for one of them.
Farley made a few comments about the second-generation electric pickup that’s scheduled to debut in 2025, and he is definitely INTO IT. He called the truck “one of the most-thrilling vehicles I have ever seen in my career.”
“Stunning performance like no truck has ever performed, capability and unexpected innovation for truck customers, far beyond the normal truck attributes. A super-flexible cabin that feels like a lounge or a tiny office. Take the wheels off this truck and it’s still a mind-blowing product.
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Then he put an exclamation point on his praise.
“I’d take this truck seven days a week over a Cybertruck.”
Tesla is set to begin deliveries of the Cybertruck on November 30th, but there’s a lot still unknown about it, including the price.
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The current rumor among customers has it that the first models will cost around $100,000, and recent government filings say it will be offered in dual-motor and triple-motor versions.
Elon Musk has also confirmed that it is being developed with four-wheel-steering, an air suspension system and says the Performance model “kicks ass next-level.”
Tesla’s Cybertruck reservations website removed all of the projected pricing in 2021, but still advertises it with a payload capacity up to 3,500 pounds and a maximum tow rating of 14,000 pounds.
As for Farley’s claim of “performance like no truck has ever performed,” he didn’t clarify if he was talking about speed or range or hauling, but the GMC Hummer EV has 1,000 hp and the Chevrolet Silverado EV has been given an EPA rating of 450 miles of range between charges.
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Farley said a big part of the focus at Ford’s Model e electric vehicle division right now is cutting cost and making the pickup as efficient as possible, so they can use cheaper and lighter battery packs than today’s trucks have.