6:59 am, May 30, 2020
Elon Musk has let TV star Jay Leno get behind the wheel of Tesla’s forthcoming Cybertruck – and it gives us a glimpse of what the wedge-shaped monster will be like.
In the video above, we get a look inside the Tesla for the first time where there’s an uncluttered interior and the traditional infotainment screen dominating the dash, and Leno takes it for a short road test.
Asked if the truck will look as space age as it does now when it finally hits the road, Musk says he gets frustrated with car manufacturers who would design show cars that look ‘sweet’ but then when production comes around they don’t follow the same design.
He says: ‘We won’t do show cars that aren’t real. This is pretty close to production. We are five per cent too big so we will drop all proportions and drop them five per cent.
‘It’s got to fit in a normal garage. There are lots of little details that people wouldn’t normally notice like improving visibility. Having glass like this is actually quite hard as it is so sloped.
‘We are going to use armoured glass for the car and the door panels are so tough they are effectively bullet proof to a hand gun.
‘It’s bad ass and super cool. We want to be a leader in apocalypse technology.’
Tesla famously tested the ‘bulletproof’ glass when he unveiled the Cybertruck but smashed it live on stage.
The truck will do 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds and will have an electric range of 500 miles. The load bay – which has a lockable top called the ‘vault’ – is six foot long.
The pair also take a look at the ‘vault’, the metal cover that sweeps across the load bay to lock contents in. It’s even tough enough to walk on, as Musk proves in the video.
In the video, they take the Cybertruck to one of Musk’s Boring Company tunnels – designed to ease traffic by taking roads under Los Angeles.
While we hear little about what the Cybertruck is like to drive, what is clear in the video is just how mad the pick-up looks. It looks like nothing on the road and is striking from all angles.
Leno says: ‘This is a bucket list thing to get a glimpse of the future – and you’re doing it. It’s very cool.’
The Tesla Model 3 was the best selling car in the UK in April as car sales plummeted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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