What Was the Cybertruck?
Briefly

What Was the Cybertruck?
"Ispot him from across the parking lot at the indian Meadow Service Plaza in West Unity, Ohio. In the oppressive heat, his Tesla Cybertruck blends into the scenery, its shiny wrap shimmering in the sun like an oil slick. Clad in a bright-yellow T-shirt reading "DUCATI," he appears to be genuflecting to his vehicle, as if pledging it fealty. When I look again, I realize he is doing squats in front of the Cybertruck's windshield camera."
"I approach him-white, middle-aged, friendly-looking. He tells me he reserved his Cybertruck for purchase back in late 2019, shortly after its November unveiling in Los Angeles. What attracted him most to the vehicle, he says, was its unique appearance and its durability. The latter claim strikes me as ironic. At that inaugural event in LA, Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, tried to demonstrate that the truck's windows were indestructible by throwing a metal ball at them-but ended up shattering the glass, twice."
"Over the next four years, with some 1 million reservation holders waiting in the wings, Tesla repeatedly pushed the Cybertruck's launch date back, while its base price climbed from $40,000 to $61,000. The man I met at the Ohio rest stop was fazed neither by the truck's polarizing design (which he approvingly called "obscure") nor its skyrocketing cost. Having made his $100 deposit, he waited patiently for his car until Tesla called him in March 2024 to upsell him on the tri-motor model."
A Cybertruck reservation holder encountered at an Ohio service plaza had reserved the vehicle in late 2019 and waited through years of delays and rising costs. The Cybertruck's polarizing appearance and perceived durability motivated his commitment despite a demonstration that shattered the truck's glass at the 2019 unveiling. Tesla increased its base price and offered upsells, culminating in delivery of an expensive tri-motor "Beast" model in August 2024. The owner expresses strong enthusiasm for Full Self-Driving, using it while drinking coffee and watching YouTube, even as fatal incidents involving Autopilot remain part of the vehicle's safety record.
Read at The Nation
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