Cybertruck photos in the wild reveal the truck's quirks ahead of Elon Musk's most important launch yet
- Every new Tesla Cybertruck sighting has fans zooming in and picking apart its features.
- A lot is on the line for Elon Musk's launch of the Cybertruck.
The look of the Tesla Cybertruck has been polarizing since the day CEO Elon Musk debuted the futuristic-looking truck.
The angular design and stainless steel body panels have divided automotive design enthusiasts on whether the Cybertruck is cutting edge — one analyst predicted it could be the Hummer of its generation — or just plain ugly.
The nit-picking of the Cybertruck's look has heightened in recent months as pre-production models are spotted more often on the open road.
Every new photo leaked from the Tesla factory or other events spurs Cybertruck fans — who have waited years for the truck's arrival — to zoom in and pick apart each new visual of the massive truck.
Since Tesla doesn't spend on advertising, early sightings of pre-production models are common ahead of a Tesla launch, and usually help stoke excitement. A lot is on the line for the Cybertruck launch, which is planned for the fourth quarter of the year. This is the first time that Tesla has faced so many comparisons ahead of a launch, since other brands have beaten the company to the electric truck market.
"The quality had better be there for this vehicle," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. "If you convert a buyer to a Tesla Cybertruck from any established truck brand, they are going to pick apart everything that is different and wrong."
Here are some of the latest topics of conversation surrounding the final look of the Tesla Cybertruck.
Picking apart the Frunk
A leaked video that appears to show the Cybertruck factory got fans of the truck buzzing about the size of the frunk — the nickname given to the extra storage space in the front of EVs where an engine would go in an ICE vehicle. The post on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, gave a walk-around of the truck, including its front storage compartment.
People were quick to compare the Cybertruck frunk to that of the F-150 Lightning, which is often touted as the Ford truck's best feature.
Smudges and warped panels
On the exterior of the Cybertruck, people are talking about more than that trapezoidal shape. Stainless steel panels have some automotive design and manufacturing experts thinking the car might always look a little dirty or warped.
Large, flat body panels are more susceptible to warping, appearing to create a funhouse mirror effect caught in a recent photo of the truck posted by Musk.
Anyone who has owned a stainless steel kitchen appliance knows how hard it is to avoid unsightly smudging and grime accumulation. A truck spotted transporting a batch of Cybertrucks earlier this week appeared to display some of that smudging.
Comparisons to other trucks on the road
Another spotting that got Cybertruck fans buzzing in recent weeks was when one driver saw the Cybertruck at an intersection with a Rivian R1T.
The Rivian appears to be longer than the Cybertruck in the photo shared by @klwtts on X, but it could just be the angle of the photo. Just weeks away from deliveries, Tesla still has yet to release official specs or pricing, leaving customers to clamor for every detail they can find in these spottings.