On May 21, 2025, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the stage at Gigafactory Texas in Austin to unveil the 2025 Tesla Cybertruck, a vehicle that continues to captivate and polarize audiences with its futuristic design and bold promises. The event, streamed live on Musk’s social media platform X, marked a significant moment for Tesla as it introduced updated features, performance specs, and pricing for the Cybertruck lineup, including the newly released single-motor rear-wheel-drive (RWD) “Long Range” model. Amidst a backdrop of disappointing sales, multiple recalls, and Musk’s increasingly controversial public image, the unveiling aimed to reinvigorate interest in the angular electric pickup truck. But with a starting price of $69,990 and a host of innovative yet divisive features, the 2025 Cybertruck continues to face an uphill battle in winning over consumers and critics alike.
The Tesla Cybertruck, first revealed in 2019, has been a lightning rod for attention since its inception. Musk envisioned it as a “supertruck with crazy torque, dynamic air suspension, and corners like it’s on rails,” a vision he reiterated during the 2025 unveiling. The truck’s stainless steel exoskeleton, inspired by Blade Runner and the Lotus Esprit from the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, gives it a post-apocalyptic aesthetic that Musk described as “looking like something out of the future.” Production began in November 2023 at Gigafactory Texas, with initial deliveries occurring later that month, but the Cybertruck has faced significant challenges, including production delays, quality issues, and a sales slump. By early 2025, Tesla had sold just over 46,000 units, far below Musk’s prediction of 250,000 annual sales, according to a WIRED report from March 2025. The unveiling of the 2025 models was an opportunity for Musk to address these setbacks and showcase improvements aimed at broadening the Cybertruck’s appeal.
The 2025 Cybertruck lineup includes three variants: the single-motor RWD “Long Range” model, the dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) model, and the tri-motor AWD “Cyberbeast.” The RWD Long Range model, which began deliveries in April 2025, starts at $69,990—a $9,000 increase from its originally announced price of $60,990, as reported by Fortune. It offers an EPA-estimated range of 350 miles, the longest of any Cybertruck configuration, but omits several premium features like ventilated seats, a rear-seat display, a motorized tonneau cover, power outlets, and adaptive air suspension, according to Wikipedia. The AWD model, priced at $81,985, delivers 600 horsepower and a 340-mile range, while the Cyberbeast, at $101,985, boasts 834 horsepower and a 320-mile range, making it the quickest pickup tested by Car and Driver with a 0-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds. Musk highlighted these specs during the unveiling, emphasizing the Cybertruck’s ability to “outrun a Porsche 911 while towing another 911,” a claim he first demonstrated in a 2023 promotional video.
The Cybertruck’s features remain a mix of groundbreaking innovation and polarizing design choices. Its stainless steel exoskeleton, described by Musk as “ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled,” is touted as bulletproof against 9mm handgun fire, though larger firearms have caused damage, as noted by Business Insider. The exterior, which lacks paint to avoid dents, has been criticized for showing smudges and rust spots when exposed to rain, with owners reporting complex upkeep requirements, including a “Car Wash Mode” to protect features at car washes. Inside, the Cybertruck offers seating for five (not six as initially claimed), with a minimalist cabin featuring a large central touchscreen and a steer-by-wire system—a first for a high-volume production vehicle. This system, praised by CleanTechnica after a 15,000-mile test, dynamically adjusts steering response based on speed, making the massive truck surprisingly nimble despite its 6,600-pound weight.
Performance-wise, the Cybertruck delivers impressive stats for an electric pickup. The AWD model can tow up to 11,000 pounds and has a payload capacity of 2,500 pounds, outpacing competitors like the Ford F-150 Lightning (10,000 pounds towing, 2,235 pounds payload) and Rivian R1T (11,000 pounds towing, 1,764 pounds payload). The Cyberbeast’s 834 horsepower allows for a top speed of 130 mph, while the RWD Long Range model, with a more modest 315 horsepower, achieves 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 112 mph. The adaptive air suspension provides up to 17 inches of ground clearance, with a 35-degree approach angle and 28-degree departure angle, making it a formidable off-road contender, as noted by Car and Driver. However, real-world range tests have been less impressive, with Car and Driver reporting only 250 miles in highway conditions, a figure Musk acknowledged could be improved with a $16,000 Range Extender battery pack, expected in mid-2025, which could boost the range to over 445 miles.
The unveiling event was characteristically theatrical, with Musk driving a Cyberbeast onto the stage to cheers from the crowd. He demonstrated the truck’s armored glass by having Tesla’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, throw a baseball at the window—a nod to the infamous 2019 reveal where the glass shattered. This time, the window held, eliciting applause. Musk also showcased the truck’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite, now on version 13, which CleanTechnica called “the closest thing to a fully autonomous vehicle,” capable of navigating from a parking spot to a destination with minimal driver intervention. However, Musk was careful to note that FSD still requires driver supervision, monitored by an in-cabin camera.
Despite the impressive features, the 2025 Cybertruck faces significant challenges, many of which Musk addressed only indirectly during the unveiling. Sales have been disappointing, with Tesla delivering just 5,000 units in Q1 2025, a decline from previous quarters, according to Electrek. This is a far cry from the million reservations Musk claimed in 2023, a number that WIRED suggests may have been inflated by the low $100 deposit (later raised to $250). The Cybertruck has also been plagued by quality issues, with eight recalls in the past 13 months, the latest for body panels that fall off, as reported by Forbes. Owners have reported issues like rust spots, failing windshield wipers, and trapped accelerator pedals, fueling a Reddit channel called “Cyberstuck” with over 300,000 members sharing videos of the truck struggling in snow or sand.
Musk’s public image has further complicated the Cybertruck’s reception. His political alignment with Donald Trump and his role in DOGE, where he promised but failed to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, have alienated some Tesla fans. Protests against Tesla, including the “Tesla Takedown” demonstrations, have led to owners selling their vehicles, with sales in the Netherlands and the U.K. dropping by 75% and 62% respectively, per Forbes. The Cybertruck, already a brash and showy design, has become a lightning rod for anti-Musk sentiment, with some owners facing vandalism, as noted by Business Insider. During the unveiling, Musk avoided these controversies, focusing instead on the truck’s utility and performance, but the shadow of his political involvement loomed large.
Price remains a significant hurdle. The RWD Long Range model’s $69,990 starting price is $30,000 more than Musk’s original 2019 promise of $39,900, a discrepancy that has drawn criticism from analysts and fans alike. The AWD and Cyberbeast models, at $81,985 and $101,985, cater to a wealthier clientele, as Jessica Caldwell of Edmunds predicted in 2023, but the high cost alienates traditional pickup buyers who prioritize utility over novelty, according to The Guardian. Tesla has attempted to boost demand with incentives, offering up to $10,000 off certain inventory units, as reported by InsideEVs, but over 10,000 unsold Cybertrucks remain in lots across the U.S., representing an $800 million inventory backlog, per Forbes.
The 2025 unveiling also highlighted Tesla’s shift in marketing strategy. Once pitched as a vehicle “built for any planet” with a Mars-like aesthetic, the Cybertruck’s website now emphasizes its functionality, showcasing images of it hauling equipment and towing trailers to appeal to working-class buyers, a pivot noted by Business Insider. Musk echoed this during the event, calling the Cybertruck “an incredibly useful truck” that’s “faster than a sports car.” However, critics argue that its design compromises—like the stainless steel’s sharp edges and limited bed utility—make it less practical than competitors like the Ford F-150 Lightning or Rivian R1T, which offer similar performance at a lower cost.
As Tesla looks to the future, the 2025 Cybertruck remains a paradox: a technological marvel with groundbreaking features, yet a commercial disappointment mired in controversy. Musk’s vision for the Cybertruck as a game-changer in the pickup market is undeniable, but its high price, quality issues, and the baggage of Musk’s public persona have hindered its success. For now, the 2025 Cybertruck stands as a testament to Musk’s ambition—and a reminder of the challenges of turning bold ideas into mainstream reality. Whether it can overcome its rocky start and achieve the 250,000 annual sales Musk once predicted remains an open question, but the unveiling on May 21, 2025, was a clear signal that Tesla isn’t giving up on its polygonal pickup just yet.
