Alex Daniel
Nov 28, 2023
Fortune / VideoElephant
The first Cybertrucks are set to roll off production lines and onto buyers’ front driveways this week – but already, there’s been a publicity disaster for the long-awaited vehicle.
Images were circulating online of one of the futuristic vehicles being pulled away by a tow truck in San Francisco, prompting much hilarity on social media.
The vehicle has the letters “RC” on the side, indicating that the car was a “release candidate”. That means it is a test prototype.
Eagle-eyed viewers pointed out that the Cybertruck appears to have a parking ticket wedged between the windscreen and its single wiper.
And it’s difficult not to notice the sheer size of the vehicle, which dwarfs the truck sent along to tow it away.
One person commented on Reddit: “That thing is not finding parking in most of the city.”
Another pointed out that, at 18.5 feet long, the Cybertruck is roughly the length of a giraffe.
A third person on X/Twitter, said: “Did the tow truck run out of gas?”
It’s the latest setback for Elon Musk’s latest vehicle, which was first announced in 2019 but has since been plagued with delays and production issues.
The futuristic design is part of Musk’s ambition to build a “tough” truck which would be fit for an apocalypse.
The billionaire has claimed the vehicle’s stainless-steel body will be bulletproof – though after a disastrous unveiling of the vehicle a few years back, many have said they’ll believe that when they see it.
Early pre-production models have also been reported to have multiple quality issues around the fit and finish. That includes large gaps between the panels, and bubbles or other defects in the plastic film on the outside.
When the finished product eventually goes out into the world on Thursday, Tesla bosses will have their fingers crossed the worst Cybertruck embarrassments are behind them.
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