Having only just started reaching customers’ hands in the US on Friday, the Tesla Cybertruck has already appeared on the Tesla Malaysia website—replete with the headline specs converted from imperial to metric units.
Naturally, this will raise people’s expectations of the ginormous stainless steel electric pick-up coming to Malaysia. But here’s why you still should not hold out hope for it arriving on our shores—at least, not anytime soon.
The Roadster is on there too
First off, we do have to acknowledge that it’s great that Tesla has added the Cybertruck to the Malaysian website, as it seems to underline the importance of our market. And at first glance, it does appear that the truck has a non-zero chance of coming here—after all, the left-hand-drive-only Model S and Model X do not show up on the site in any shape or form.
But that in itself is not an indicator of Tesla’s interest to bring it here, and for one simple, very obvious reason—the second-generation Roadster, the company’s perpetually-delayed vapourware of a sports car, is also on it. Sure, there is at least a photo of the Cybertruck in the list of models, but that’s not good enough.
Full-scale production isn’t for a while yet
Even though the Cybertruck will finally hit US roads after two years of delays, it will be a while before most order holders will get their trucks. Before deliveries had even begun, Tesla boss Elon Musk warned of “enormous challenges in reaching volume production,” as the uncompromising stainless steel construction made the truck “10,000 per cent harder” to build. He added that the company wants to eventually make 250,000 Cybertrucks a year but won’t be able to do so until 2025 at the earliest.
This means Tesla’s overriding priority will be to ramp up production to satisfy domestic demand—and deliver the USD 60,990 (around RM285,000) rear-wheel-drive base model—before it can even think about exporting it. Speaking of which…
The Cybertruck won’t meet global safety standards
No, the Cybertruck is not unsafe. Tesla made a big deal about the truck’s crash safety during its delivery event this week, and it does appear the Cybertruck will withstand pretty much anything you can throw at it (even bullets, apparently) without harming its occupants. The problem is actually the opposite—the specially-developed “ultra-strong” steel alloy exoskeleton could prove lethal to pedestrians who happen to walk out onto the road at an inopportune time.
The tough skin (and the sharp edges at the front) mean the Cybertruck is unlikely to pass the UN’s vehicle regulations on pedestrian safety—which Malaysia also adopts—without some very expensive reengineering. No wonder, then, that some media outlets are already reporting that the Cybertruck will only be sold in the US.
Driving one in Malaysia isn’t a good idea
Even if Tesla decides the minuscule global demand for full-size pick-up trucks is enough to warrant the considerable expense of reengineering the Cybertruck for right-hand-drive markets, buying one to drive in Malaysia is ill-advised because of its considerable dimensions. At nearly 5.7 metres long, the Tesla rivals Rolls-Royces in terms of length, and its 2.2 metre width puts them in the shade—it’s barely any narrower than a Hino 500 Series, and that’s a lorry. This thing will make a Toyota Hilux look like a Kancil.
Sure, it may just about fit in the porch of your multi-million-ringgit mansion, but where on Earth are you going to park it when you’re out and about? Not a mall, that’s for sure. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two units of the Cybertruck do end up here, being driven by your local Sultan.
A recap of the specs
As a refresher, the Cybertruck is available in three variants, the base model being rear-wheel drive and able to get from zero to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds; its range is estimated at 402km. One rung up the ladder is the dual-motor all-wheel-drive version with 600hp, slashing the century sprint to 4.3 seconds and delivering the longest range at 547km (down from over 800km as claimed during the original 2019 reveal).
But it’s the unfortunately-named Cyberbeast that grabs the headlines, with 845hp from its triple motors (one in front, two at the rear) that will get it to 100km/h in just 2.7 seconds—all while delivering a slightly shorter 515km of range. The Cybertruck is the first Tesla product to adopt an 800-volt electrical architecture, which should enable it to sustain higher DC fast charging power for longer at Tesla Superchargers.
