The Cybertruck has already been on a European tour, including in Vienna. But the angular Tesla ship is currently only on the road in the USA. It remains to be seen whether the stainless steel pickup will ever be exported across the pond. Tesla boss Elon Musk has now commented on the matter.
In his opinion, a number of changes will have to be made to the vehicle in order for it to be approved in Europe. This will only make sense with higher production numbers, Musk said on Thursday at the Tesla Annual General Meeting after a shareholder question. It is possible that the vehicle will be certified for other countries “sometime next year”.The Cybertruck was designed to meet the specifications in North America, Musk emphasized. Compliance with international requirements would have brought additional restrictions – “and that would have made the product worse, frankly.”I think we will have to make a special version that meets Chinese specifications, that meets European specifications,” Musk predicted.Production can be expandedAfter years of delay, Tesla began delivering the pickup with its distinctive stainless steel body at the end of 2023. Musk had promised annual production of around 250,000 Cybertrucks for the future – but it is unclear when Tesla could reach the mark. According to the latest information from April, Tesla can build around 1,000 units of the model per week. Large pick-up trucks are one of the most popular vehicle categories in the USA. Overall, however, buyers continue to prefer combustion engines or hybrid drives. For example, Ford only sells relatively few electric versions of its best-selling F-150 model. Musk was convinced that Tesla would also encounter strong demand for the Cybertruck outside the USA. The company had already presented the vehicle in several European countries at the beginning of May. Many experts doubt that the Cybertruck in its current form is compatible with EU regulations.
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