Tesla
- Tesla's Cybertruck is about to enter an already crowded segment.
- Leaked photos have drawn some criticism from Tesla fans.
- The Cybertruck likely still has enough juice to rock the EV truck segment.
The Cybertruck is finally on its way to customers' driveways, but the long wait has given some superfans enough time to nitpick the design of the futuristic-looking truck.
As the Cybertruck gets closer to launch, photos of the vehicle have circulated on Tesla enthusiast blogs and forums.
A look inside the interior in May left some feeling the cockpit was more barebones than they expected.
"Ok the enormous flat dash looks straight ridiculous," one commenter wrote on the leaked photos. "I can deal with the pillar blind spots but some people are going to hate that."
A more recently leaked video 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 – has some superfans feeling disappointed about the seemingly puny compartment.
The video made rounds on Tesla CEO Elon Musk's social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this month. While some users felt the overall design of the Cybertruck makes up for the small frunk, others expressed disappointment – especially in comparison to Ford's massive F-150 Lightning frunk.
Cybertruck is the first Tesla to suffer from comparisons
While its unique design and so-called "Tesla factor" will likely attract some first-time truck buyers, the Cybertruck is already suffering from comparisons to trucks that beat it to the market.
Musk is for the first time entering a crowded segment well after his competitors. Fellow startup Rivian was the first to hit the market with its R1T in the fall of 2021, and the company is still scrambling to fill all of its orders. The Hummer EV, first teased at the 2020 Super Bowl, started production at the start of this year.
Ford's F-150 Lightning has been in production for more than a year, and has had steady growth and demand. (Ford recently re-opened orders for more affordable trim levels of the Lightning).
Ford CEO Jim Farley appears to be taking advantage of the comparisons, flaunting the F-150 Lightning's frunk on X Thursday.
Tesla's take on the truck
Despite comparisons and nitpicks, industry experts believe the Tesla Cybertruck still has the juice to disrupt the truck market as we know it.
It may be enough that the vehicle is "Tesla's take on the truck," according to Karl Brauer, an automotive analyst for iSeeCars. Another analyst called it the "Hummer of the 2020s" with its jarring design and appeal to EV enthusiasts and luxury-minded buyers.
"It's a car that's going to let people live out a new, bizarre dream of what their vehicle can be," Ivan Drury, an automotive analyst for the car-shopping website Edmunds, told Insider recently.
Tesla did not reply to Insider's request for comment.
Do you have an order in for the Tesla Cybertruck? Reach out to this reporter at nnaughton@insider.com