Tesla’s ‘low-end’ Cybertruck may not happen

While Tesla’s intention to produce an EV truck has taken plenty of hits, the company is still moving forward with a release date of November 30—just a month out. The big, three motor rig (with a 500-mile range) was originally announced with a price tag of $69,900. But in 2019, Tesla said for those who couldn’t afford such a price, the single-motor, more affordable option would price out at $39,900. Now that “low-end” Cybertruck may not happen.

VIN codes say cheap Cybertruck may not happen

Cybertruck Owners Club boasted on the social media platform “X” that a VIN decoder suggests that the single-motor model Cybertruck won’t be rolling out, at least not in the 2024 model year. How do they fathom this information? The outfit says that the eighth-digit in the VIN code represents motor, drive unit, and braking system. In that place are letter codes only for “Dual Motor – Standard” and “Triple Motor – Performance” models. Nothing for a single-motor unit.

Adding to Cybertruck Owners Club’s conclusions, they say the VIN codes also tell another tale. In the sixth-digit place of the VINs, a weight class is indicated. “G” in that position shows a truck scaling in from 8,001 pounds to 9,000 pounds. An “H” shows a weight range of 9,001 to 10,000 pounds. They speculate these two weight classes are for the dual-motor Standard and triple-motor Performance trims, respectively. Hence, their conclusion that the low-end Cybertruck may not happen—at least not in the 2024 model year.

Buyers will pay more, regardless

As to actual costs of any new Cybertrucks coming out in a few weeks? Tesla has been mum, but Elon Musk has already indicated prices will be higher than the original projection. Last August, Musk commented that “specs and pricing will be different,” and blamed inflation for the inflating prices. Just how much more will Cybertruck buyers have to pay? Evidently that won’t be known until the end of November.

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