A new render shows a stainless steel exoskeleton, full-sized 7-seat Tesla SUV based on the Cybertruck platform. This vehicle allows Tesla to capitalize on the Cybertruck’s success and grow production on work already done for the all-electric pickup truck.
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Pickup trucks are one of the largest automotive segments in the US. After years of completely leaving open this important market, Tesla has finally entered the pickup truck space with the Cybertruck.
In classic Tesla fashion, the Cybertruck has redefined what it means to be a pickup truck. The Cybertruck’s departure from the pickup truck ethos is easily noticeable from its design.
However, in addition to how it looks, after the Cybertruck finally started customer deliveries, we’ve learned the truck’s design is not its most radical departure.
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The Cybertruck’s 30x cold rolled ultra-tough stainless steel exoskeleton makes the Cybertruck the first mass-market vehicle to be bulletproof. This on its own would be a significant change on any vehicle.
However, not only that, the Cybertruck is also the first vehicle to feature a steer-by-wire variable gain steering system, the first vehicle to come with a 48-volt low voltage architecture, the first Tesla to feature 800-volt high voltage architecture, the first Tesla to feature 4-wheel steering, the first vehicle to be wired using a high bandwidth ethernet loop to connect every single vehicle component, and so on.
After the Cybertruck started deliveries what’s clear is that the vehicle is not only the most unique Tesla vehicle so far in terms of looks, but the truck is also the most technologically advanced vehicle in the world.
So given all the technological advances present underneath the truck, this raises the obvious question, how about if Tesla used the Cybertruck chassis and internal components to design a vehicle in a different segment, for example, something like a full-sized SUV?
Currently, in the sports utility segment, Tesla has the Model Y which is the best-selling vehicle in the world, and the Model X. However, the Model Y is a crossover and the Model X is a mid-sized SUV.
This leaves the full-sized large 7-seat SUV segment open for competitors without any Tesla vehicle to compete in that market.
This brings us back once again to Tesla producing a full-sized SUV based on the Cybertruck chassis. As you can see in the picture above, the Cybertruck’s unique design although a bit unorthodox can still be made into a beautiful SUV.
These renders were shared with the title “Compact Cyber” by Nicola Galante on the Tesla Cybertruck Facebook group and show what a theoretical SUV produced on the Cybertruck platform would look like.
There are several good reasons why Tesla should consider producing such a vehicle. First is that yes pickup trucks are particularly popular in the US however, the one vehicle segment even bigger than pickup trucks is SUVs.
Take the Rivian R1T (Truck) and R1S (SUV) produced on the same platform as an example. Rivian first brought out the R1T, however, after introducing the R1S SUV, the latter now accounts for about 70% of the vehicles Rivian produces on the R1 platform.
Similarly, with the Cybertruck, Tesla is planning annual production capacities of around 250,000 vehicles, however, if Tesla comes out with a full-sized SUV based on the Cybertruck platform, the EV maker will likely be able to significantly grow production by taking advantage of the work already done for the Cybertruck.
In our minds this makes absolute sense, however, as of now, Tesla has not hinted that there is an SUV in development based on the Cybertruck platform.
Having said that, Tesla has confirmed that the company is working on a new van and the company is also notoriously secretive when it comes to new vehicle development which means there is no way to definitively say a Cybertruck SUV is or is not coming.
However, we’ll be sure to keep you posted as we learn more about Tesla’s plans. Until then, make sure to visit our site torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.
So what do you think? Would you like to see an SUV based on the Cybertruck platform? Or do you think the Model X suffices? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Courtesy of Nicola Galante, Tesla Cybertruck Facebook group
For more information check out: Tesla Releases a New Video Titled “Cybertruck in Less Than 60 Seconds” – Super Bowl Commercial Incoming?
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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