Tesla's electric Cybertruck, Elon Musk's take on a pickup truck, was unveiled to much fanfare, and debate, last week. Now Musk claims he has already hooked 200,000 interested customers.
Preorders on the truck, which is scheduled to hit the production line in two years, began last Thursday. The 200,000 sign-ups Musk tweeted about have so far only placed a down payment to reserve a spot in line for the vehicle.
Musk, who has been talking about the Cybertruck for some time, called it "an armored personnel carrier from the future." But some of the features on the demo model didn't quite live up to expectations at the unveiling.
During the "Armor Glass" demonstration, Tesla's chief designer Franz von Holzhausen hit the frame with a sledgehammer to prove it wouldn't cause a dent. He then threw a metal ball at the supposedly shatterproof glass windows, which shattered, not once, but two separate times. In response to the mishap, Musk shared a video, which he says was filmed before the launch, that shows the windows surviving a hit from a metal ball.
Shares of Tesla ($TSLA) fell after the truck's windows shattered on stage Thursday, but rose early Monday again after Musk tweeted "200k," referring to the deposits Tesla received for the Cybertruck. Over the weekend Musk also tweeted that most people involved in preordering indicated that they would opt for the highest pricepoint triple-motor option at $69,900 or the mid-priced dual-engine option. At the time, he said only 17 percent of preorders were for the cheapest, single-motor option.
The unconventionally-shaped truck is made from cold-rolled stainless steel, matching SpaceX's Starship rocket, which is another Musk venture, and Tesla says its most powerful model will be able to tow 14,000 pounds.
Much like all the upheaval shaking the world, the huge swings rocking Wall Street may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, this is normal.
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A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
