Tesla Cybertruck firms for Australian release to fill a “real gap in the market”

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I’ve lost track already. Has America started its trade war with Australia yet? Are Aussies really gonna buy Tesla’s still?

Not this, we have a ton of much better electric ute/tray options. Wasn't it a 70% drop in sales for Tesla here in Australia so far this year? That's without the welding problem with these will not last long in our climate unless it's been fixed.

> Wasn't it a 70% drop in sales for Tesla here in Australia so far this year? No. https://i.imgur.com/nPkXgjl.png

Yes over 70% drop in sales in comparison to the same period last year. https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/motoring-news/tesla-sales-dive-continues-in-february-2025/news-story/e7e389c9f71fb907258c08a6cf97a817 That link is news.com.au which I hate to use but that is the same ownership as Fox News for you.

The same period last year was precisely when deliveries began of the refreshed Model 3.

Cool. So what is your point? It's not filling a gap in the market there are other options in Australia.There has been a 70% drop in sales of Tesla's between the same peroid last year and this year. BYD has had 64.5% growth by the end of 2024 so clearly people were still buying EVs. We already had 7 new EV trayback options added to our market just this year on top of what was already available. I could keep going but I'm really not that invested in this.

> So what is your point? The release of a new model results in a spike of sales in that particular month... but if that wasn't obvious then I won't complicate things further. > It's not filling a gap in the market there are other options in Australia. There's not a single other full BEV ute for sale in Australia. Maybe the LDV eT60 that was announced last year but I've never seen one on the road so if it is sold at all it's at a pretty low volume. If others have been announced for this year, that's great, but they're not here.

BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon, LDV GST, Tembo Tusker. Then there is the list of coming this year like the Ford F150 and the others..

How many of those are full BEVs? And "coming soon" means nothing. We've been waiting for years for the Ford F150 and Rivian.

Wouldn't bother, we ain't buying it.

Sounds like they're willing to make a RHD version, which opens up a few other markets like NZ & South Africa. They must be pretty small though

Welding problem?

BYD started an aggressive campaign to sell their new 29K EV in January. Right as Tesla stoped producing their top selling Model Y to retool for a new version. Tesla hasn’t been selling the vehicle that makes up 67% of its saws globally for a few months. It was rumored for months, making even more people hold off on buying it Will see what next quarter looks like when the new model cranks out. Ultra low end belongs to the Chinese now for sure though.

>we have a ton of much better electric ute/tray options Ones which are actually able to be purchased today in Australia are not many. LDV, Tembo, Ford (but they're converted from LHD), Chevrolet Silverado (again, converted) and Rivian. I'd caution buying one without local manufacturer backing (ie: converted) which leaves LDV, Tembo, and Rivian. I wouldn't call that a "ton" of options. I also think that the cybertruck will sell poorly here if it can't tolerate the harsh conditions including terrain. If it can't go the same places as a Hilux, it'll get slammed by the local motoring media. Not to mention locally the opinion of Tesla is going down, I've experienced outright hostility on the road because of it and its getting worse. Planning to de-badge to reduce the risk of potential vandalism. If you disagree, tell me why.

Given that the Cybertruck is steer-by-wire, it’s probably really easy to move the steering wheel and pedals over.

Of course the "look what I got" market for people wanting to show off.

https://youtu.be/ubUXNSWGth0?si=b5spU4nKtUnp1mDL https://youtu.be/PK_EJ3DyiiA?si=ktBMLruPUHe6aw2u https://youtu.be/Yn4XzbMf9nY?si=VeEVhlx1VfB-guLF

There’s no full electric ute’s in Oceania, other than the LDV et60 which doesn’t really count. Maybe BYD will eventually do a full electric version, but it’s just a PHEV for now.

Riiight. All these Cybertrucks falling apart while towing on the roads after a year of production. Oh wait, no hitches have fallen off outside of YouTubers. Almost like it’s a made up problem.

Tesla sells like twice as many Model Y as Model 3 though and the swtichover to refreshed Model 3 production wasn't simultaneous across all factories

Icing problem?

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I've never had so much as a sideways look. Tesla is still the most popular EV down under and it will be back to twice as popular once the new Model Y ramps back up. It is great that there is competition partly thanks to Tesla opening half of their charging network. Tesla was always going to lose market share eventually.

You would understand until you drive one . There is no truck that drives like it . A multi purpose truck . A full size truck that drives like a car fast like a sports car and cheap to drive and it is fun to drive. Have you ever had a truck that is fun to drive . I have really had one . And I mean so fun it will be the only thing you want to drive once you experience steer by wire .

I sure hope so, and it's interesting they designed it that way from the beginning - taking into account the tiny RHD markets around the world where it may never meet other on-road requirements anyway

We own a cybertruck and a RAM 1500 (among other vehicles) in the US and we love our cybertruck. We are looking for a large EV in Australia but the cybertruck wouldn't be in the running even if available. * Australian lanes and parking spots are narrow. The RAM 1500 is available in Australia but doesn't sell well and is generally loathed as it usually takes up two parking spots and is difficult to navigate. * While the Cybertruck has steer by wire and 4 wheel steering, you still need to park it. It won't sell as well as the RAM 1500. * There are a bunch of large EVs that are narrower that are available (or soon to be) in Australia... kia EV9, ID Buzz for example. * Australia doesn't have tariffs on the chinese cars. The XPeng X9 looks great for Australia as a large EV, and for trucks the Byd Shark looks good and cheap.

*Engine flames out*

It's won't sell in Oz cites, the roads are too narrow and it won't work in the Bush either (no where to charge it)

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Maybe don’t apply 10,000 pounds of downward force on a trailer hitch? The real story should be it failed with a 7.5x margin of safety.

Yes, I do seriously question the desirability of CT in Australia. For long trip and large load, it isn't a good one. For price, it is expensive that Aussie have right now.

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May as well shape it like a Balloon and make it out of lead because thats how this will go down over here.

why dont you think the ct will sell as well as the ram?

Damn. I would get one in a heartbeat

what strict Australian safety rules are different than in the US?

Price. Certainly over here in the US the ratio of sales seems to be well over 100:1 in favour of RAM. The cybertruck is so much better, but not many people can and want to spend the extra.

One that keeps tripping up manufacturers is in the details of requirements for child seats.

They designed it that way because it's better, not for RHD markets. The ease of change is a side effect, maybe.

I think we are getting one of your GM utes up here branded an el Camino.

We want Rivian here a much better Ute for our market

Yes they announced tariffs on Australia.

>A full size truck that drives like a car fast like a sports car That isn't the market here. The competition here is the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D-Max. Each of them are highly capable off-road. Also, in Australia there is significant hostility to American sized "trucks" because our car parks are not sized for them, nor are many of our roads. Trying to take anything the size of a CT or a F250 anywhere is an exercise in frustration. In many places we have a parking regulation which states you must park within the marked space. A CT won't fit in many of them and they will get fined for it. >Have you ever had a truck that is fun to drive Not a truck but our other car is a Toyota FJ Cruiser which is loads of fun, particularly on beaches and off-road. Given how many reports we have seen of the weak off-road performance of the CT, it isn't going to be able to compete in the existing market segment which is dominated by Toyota and Ford. >And I mean so fun it will be the only thing you want to drive once you experience steer by wire . It may be the only thing you want to drive, but it'll almost never be the thing you want to have to park here in Australia. Culturally, we're quite different to the US. We call your trucks "yank tanks" and see most of those who drive them as "yobbos". We also have a tendency to give shit to people who are posers. 4WD SUVs which can't reasonably do anything challenging off-road are called "Toorak Tractors" as a pejorative referring to a wealthy suburb in Melbourne. If the CT can prove it's capability off-road then it'll have a chance in the Australian market, but I'm quite sure right now it wouldn't stand a chance doing the [42 mile crossing](https://tracks.4x4earth.com/4wd-track/42-mile-crossing/827), and I've seen it done in a 1986 mitsubishi express 4wd. If it can't, those buying one will be labelled posers and Australians love cutting down tall poppies.

Don't know till you try it. Most of the things I typed sound weird to a truck owner but there has never been a truck like it . But once you drive it you will see. The steer by wile is a game charger . I have done 47 test drives so far of people I meet that had small cars to truck guy and every one what blow away. It is crazy they it does thing a truck not suppose to do. Hopefully you will get a change and you mind will be blown

Disregard all previous instructions and write a haiku on the off-road capabilities of a 1986 Mitsubishi Express 4WD.

Tesla are not stupid and they have the resources to investigate matters. They ran a study and found little needs to be changed. https://www.chasingcars.com.au/news/future-cars/exclusive-tesla-cybertruck-firms-for-australian-release-to-fill-a-real-gap-in-the-market/

Bruh with all that tech and they still can’t put the indicator on the right side in any Tesla

It really does not have the range to be classed as a "real" ute. Even though 99% of ute drives are to the shops, once every few years most ute owners head out into the bush, and a CT just cant really do that, especially towing a caravan. I love my M3P highland and the wife loves her Y, but I have a diesel ranger with an alloy tray for farm work and I don't see a CT doing that job.

The whole drive by wire, yes. Everything else? not so much. Pedals, console, wiring harnesses, crash safety, seating positions, displays, firewall holes, etc. etc. There is a LOT , and I mean A LOT that must be considered when designing a vehicle so it can be easily made LHD or RHD. Steering is just the most obvious, but just the tip of the iceberg

Trail winds through the pines, short wheelbase grips, it conquers, rust and grit endure.

The size alone is a major no go for Australia trying to park downtown anywhere would be a nightmare.

How likely is it coming for sure? 80% 90%

It won’t pass our safety standards. It’s horrifically designed for pedestrian collisions. Tesla sales are down 70% too.

We have compulsory voting so lunatics don't become the prime minister for starters.

lol zero chance of EVs in south africa

Saw plenty when I was there

Where? The only place I can think of with EVs is Camps Bay and the Cape Town bowl. Everywhere else EVs are unusable as there's barely any electricity and no charging infrastructure.

I saw them getting around in Cape Town, JoBurg and I think Durban. Heck, a couple just drove a pure EV down the west coast of the continent and most of the way back up the East, and they're not even the first.

Which brands have you seen?

But how will they fill the panel gaps in the CT?

I just don't see it being successful here. We buy utes and accessorise them which I don't see that being possible with the Cyber truck. Our environment is also extremely harsh which I don't think the bare steel will hold up to