Musk lacked support from the team. (Image: Tesla)
The unveiling of Tesla’s Cybertruck was undoubtedly a spectacular event at the time, but it seems that not everyone at the company was enthusiastic about Elon Musk’s “visionary” design approach.
According to Tesla’s design chief Franz von Holzhausen, some Tesla engineers rejected Musk’s plans for the Cybertruck and simply found them “too strange,” Autoblog.com reported. This is what Walter Isaacson is supposed to reveal, who will soon publish his biography of Elon Musk.
Division in the Tesla studio
Von Holzhausen has reported that a majority of the studio’s employees rejected the Cybertruck’s futuristic design and couldn’t take it seriously.
“The majority of people in the studio hated it.”
Some engineers even went so far as to secretly design an alternative version of the electric pickup after seeing a mock-up version of the futuristic truck at SpaceX’s Los Angeles showroom in the summer of 2019.
Tesla Cybertruck (Bild: Tesla)
What happened to the other Cybertruck? Unfortunately, it remains unclear what happened to the alternative version of the vehicle, as neither Musk, von Holzhausen nor a Tesla spokesperson responded to a request for comment from Autoblog before publication.
How were the doubts responded? Isaacson reported that von Holzhausen listened patiently to engineers’ concerns and emphasized the importance of gaining support from team members.
Musk, on the other hand, was less patient and dismissed concerns related to the Cybertruck.
“I don’t do focus groups”
Instead of tweaking the design, Musk has insisted on creating a drivable version of the Cybertruck, which he showed off at a Tesla event in November. This pressure led to the team reportedly working around the clock to meet the deadline.
How did the Cybertruck design come about? Musk developed the Cybertruck as an answer to conventional trucks that he found “boring.”
Although the project has faced delays over the past two years, Tesla reportedly plans to begin deliveries of the Cybertruck this year.
But it’s not just the Cybertruck that will soon be on the road. There is also a new Tesla Model 3 on the way to the streets here:
What do you think of the Cybertruck? Do you like the futuristic design? Is there perhaps anyone among you who is planning on getting one? Would you get another Tesla if you don’t like the Cybertruck? Feel free to write us your opinion and any driving experiences with Teslas in the comments below!