Tesla’s futuristic stainless steel Cybertruck has been spotted on Australian streets, but locals eager to purchase the sharp-angled electric vehicle shouldn’t hold their breath.
The Cybertruck, which a caller to Sydney radio station 2GB described as “a refrigerator on wheels”, was spotted near Sydney Airport in Sydney’s north and parked between two other Tesla models on Bondi Beach , in the eastern suburbs.
He was also spotted parked outside the luxury Royal Oak Hotel in Double Bay during his unannounced tour of the city, which was faithfully captured on social media.
The vehicle, however, is just a demonstration model that has been assigned temporary license plates by the Queensland Department of Transport for limited “on-road use”.
The model appears to be left-hand drive as opposed to standard right-hand drive Australian vehicles.
Tesla’s futuristic Cybertuck, which is not yet available for sale in Australia, has been spotted in Sydney
Drive.com editor-in-chief Trent Nikolic dismissed the sightings as a “publicity stunt” to get people talking about Tesla and its other products.
“The latest information from Tesla is that the Cybertruck will not be produced in right-hand drive, so it will not be manufactured in a way that will be sold in Australia,” he told Ben Fordham on 2GB Breakfast. .
The vehicle’s rigid design means it is unlikely to meet Australian safety standards in its current form in the US… with no timeline now for an Australian model.
Although Tesla was initially accepting Cybertruck pre-orders from Australian buyers, this has now been discontinued and Australians can only request upgrades on the official website.
Those who made the $150 deposit were offered the opportunity to put the money towards the US-based company’s Model Y SUV or Model 3 sedan.
The base Cybertruck costs more than AU$93,000 in the US and has a fully charged range of around 400km.
The shiny electrically charged vehicle was spotted at several Sydney landmarks including Bondi Beach (pictured).
It can go from 0 to 100 kilometers in about seven seconds and tow about four tons.
The highest-end models cost more than 122,000 Australian dollars, up to the so-called Tesla Cyberbeast, which costs 153,000 dollars, and offers greater range, faster acceleration and more powerful towing capacity.
Instead of a normal instrument panel, the Cybertruck has a touchscreen mounted as a single control along with the steering wheel and two driving pedals.
While the Sydney Cybertruck has been sent on a world tour, including to left-hand drive locations like Australia, they have not announced that it will be produced in right-hand drive.
Tesla and its famous CEO, Elon Musk, face major headaches in the US for not being able to supply Cybertrucks, with manufacturing delays compounded by having to issue a major safety recall over a design defect in the accelerator pedal.
A significant drop in electric vehicle sales around the world has also caused Tesla to recently announce plans to lay off more than 10 percent of its global workforce, which is about 14,000 workers.
It is also unclear whether the Cybertruck can meet strict Australian design rules with its heavy weight, large width and inflexible steel exoskeleton resulting in reduced crumple zones, raising safety concerns.
Elon Musk demonstrates the Cybertruck as a concept vehicle in 2019. Somewhat embarrassingly, he claimed that the windows could not break if someone threw a large metal ball bearing at them, but when this was demonstrated, the glass shattered.
In response to a Cars Guide query, Transport and Regional Development said it would, upon request, provide Tesla with Australian standards “to plan and incorporate our requirements when they design and manufacture road vehicles”.
The Cybertruck was launched as a concept vehicle in 2019 amid a flurry of publicity from Elon Musk, who claimed that the hardened sides were so strong that they could not be penetrated by bullets.
The company originally said Cybertrucks would be on the streets in 2021, but the first models were not delivered until late 2023.
Somewhat embarrassingly, he claimed that the windows could not be broken if someone threw a large metal ball at them, but when this was demonstrated, the glass shattered.
The massive recall of Cybertrucks in the US came after reports that the accelerator pedal became stuck after the cover slipped, causing the vehicles to reach top speeds in a matter of seconds.
Musk stated on X that “there were no injuries or accidents due to this.” “We’re just being very cautious.”
However, Musk did not clarify when Cybertruck deliveries would restart: many customers have been told “two weeks at best” or nothing at all.
The Cybertruck has renounced the traditional reading and control panel for a single touch screen.
Hundreds of Cybertrucks have been seen piled up at the Tesla Gigafactory in Texas as customers wait for their deliveries.
Writing about the delay and how it could affect the arrival of Cybertrucks in Australia, Cars Guide journalist Richard Berry was pessimistic.
“Unless another factory is used to produce the Cybertruck, it could be at least eight years before it gets here, and that’s using Elon Musk’s own production forecasts,” he wrote.