Musk unveils Cybertruck in Tesla's latest defiant bet

DETROIT

Tesla has begun customer deliveries of the Cybertruck, bringing to fruition an Elon Musk passion project that the billionaire boasts is stronger than bullets and faster than a Porsche.

"It's very rare that a product comes along that is seemingly impossible... that experts said would never be made," a giddy Musk told a crowd at Tesla's Austin, Texas headquarters.

"And this is one of those times."

The arrival of the angular truck, which has evoked the world of "Blade Runner" or "Mad Max," comes two years later than Musk's original time frame and at a starting price some $10,000 above the original target, owing to higher supply chain costs and manufacturing problems stemming from its iconoclastic design.

Analysts have called the Cybertruck a high-risk project compared with Tesla's other vehicles.

But Musk has shown a zealot's commitment to the project, which he said was probably the company's best, declaring, "Finally, the future will look like the future!"

The belated debut comes as other automakers have delayed capital investments due to sluggish demand for electric vehicles. Tesla itself has undertaken numerous price cuts on its other models, even as its share price has stayed lofty.

"Launching Cybertruck is important for the broader Tesla growth story over the coming years and also will prove to the doubters that Musk can successfully expand the Tesla halo effect as more consumers head down the EV path over the coming years," Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said in a note.

A standard model, available in 2025, costs $49,000 while the "Cyberbeast" with greater horsepower and towing capacity is $96,390.

The vehicle was originally announced with a starting price of $39,900 and first production in 2021.

After a brief presentation on Nov. 30 in which the Cybertruck was shown withstanding a barrage of bullets from a military weapon and successfully towing a 40,000-pound (18,140-kilogram) sled, Musk posed for pictures with smiling customers who drove off in their new trucks.

But the vehicle's unusual styling, which employs large flat plates of unbent stainless steel, poses challenges in manufacturing, said Art Wheaton, an expert on transportation industries at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

"It may look cool, but it's extremely difficult to manufacture successfully," Wheaton said.

Wheaton is skeptical the Cybertruck will be a big seller in part because of the "polarizing" design.

But he said Cybertruck could still be a success for Musk even if it turns out to be a niche product, by luring customers to the brand. Wheaton likened the effect to the Chevrolet Corvette, which does not account for huge sales but draws buyers to other GM vehicles.