Elon Musk talked up Tesla’s upcoming pickup truck during Sunday’s Ride the Lightning podcast. One point he made was lower pricing: while nothing is set in stone yet, the CEO suggested he would try to sell the vehicle at less than $50,000.
“We don’t want it to be really expensive. I think it got to start at less than $50,000 – it’s got to be like $49,000 starting price max. Ideally less. It just can’t be unaffordable. It’s got to be something that’s affordable. There will be versions of the truck that will be more expensive, but you’ve got to be able to get a really great truck for $49,000 or less.”
Musk also teased its appearance, hinting it’ll have a sci-fi aesthetic that sets it apart from other trucks. Some of the concept art out there have imagined the vehicle with sleek curves and futuristic lighting, which may not be too far off from the final product.
“It’s got to have incredible functionally from a load carrying standpoint, look amazing – but it won’t look like a normal truck. It’s going to look pretty sci-fi. That means that it’s not going to be for everyone- like if somebody just wants to have a truck that looks like trucks have looked like for the last 20 to 40 years, it’s probably isn’t for them.”
Of course, price and visuals don’t mean anything unless the truck can perform. Musk says he’s attempting to make something that can contend with both a Ford F-150 and Porsche 911.
“It’s going to be a truck that is more capable than other trucks. The goal is to be a better truck than a [Ford] F-150 in terms of truck-like functionality and be a better sports car than a standard [Porsche] 911. That’s the aspiration.”