Tesla turns to sci-fi classic Bladerunner for inspiration for latest Cybertruck

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has drawn on sci-fi movies to design its latest showstopper vehicle, an all-electric pick-up dubbed Cybertruck. 

It is no surprise that Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, who is also the boss at SpaceX, firm would come up with something a little space-age for the group’s latest vehicle – the sixth since the company was founded in 2003. 

The pick-up starts with a price-tag of US$39,000 and will also be the official truck of Mars (once pressurized), Musk revealed yesterday at a launch event in Los Angeles. 

READ: Tesla’s sights set on Berlin for first European battery plant

Inspiration for its design has been drawn from the Ridley Scott’s 1980s classic Bladerunner and Bond movie ‘The Spy who Loved Me’, and oh, there’s a dose of Mad Max in there too by all accounts.

The truck, set to first roll off the production line in 2021, is reportedly bulletproof against a 9mm handgun, though how useful that may be on the Red planet is up for debate.

Cybertruck will have some stiff competition. It will be up against the famous Ford F Series – the bestselling pickup for more than 40 years in the USA.

General Motors Company’s (NYSE:GM) Chevrolet Silverado is another notable competitor.

Musk told those assembled at the glitzy launch that the Cybertruck can motor from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds on the low-end model, and in a flashy 2.9 seconds at the high-end. The midrange dual-motor version of the truck does it in 4.5 seconds.

It is the latest bid from Musk to realize his electric vehicle vision and a gamble on the lucrative pick-up market, said to be around 3 million units in the US alone. But analysts will be keen to see if the colorful entrepreneur can succeed after a history of struggling to bring out new products.

CNBC said Friday that Toni Sacconaghi, senior technology research analyst at AB Bernstein, had said in a research note: “Musk had warned investors that Tesla’s pickup would be “really futuristic, like cyberpunk Blade Runner,” and he wasn’t kidding. Add a little bit of dirt, and you could even say it gives off a retro-future vibe a la Mad Max.”

Tesla shares eased 2.7% in pre-market deals in New York to stand at US$345.25 each.

Story by ProactiveInvestors