Future Driving

The Tesla Cybertruck pays a sneak-peak visit to Macau
by

Earlier in May, some of you may have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of the most exciting new cars driving around the streets of Macau. The futuristic Tesla Cybertruck was in town for just a few weeks and was mostly on display in the Tesla showroom at Lisboeta Macau, as well as some other locations. 

Unfortunately, this one was just to look at, not to test drive and not for sale.  Such is the demand for this groundbreaking vehicle, that it is currently only for sale in the US market.  When will it be available in Macau?  No one can say just yet, so if you’re a diehard Tesla fan, you are just going to have to keep waiting patiently.

Given the size and intended off-road functionality of the Cybertruck, you may be wondering why anyone in Macau would want one.  But with its impressive high-tech features and insanely striking outward appearance, we are pretty confident that it will be a hit here too, when it finally becomes available.

The Cybertruck was first revealed to the world in 2019 as a prototype at a much-hyped launch event, where Telsa CEO, Elon Musk famously demonstrated the strength of the window glass by smashing it with a sledgehammer. While many exciting looking concept cars ultimately get toned down when they reach the production stage, fortunately the street version of the Cybertruck looks basically identical, retaining all its sleek, sharp-edge lines, space-age minimalism and bare polished stainless steel panel work.  And since the launch, they even managed to fix the window glass so now it is almost indestructible. 

This is the first car to feature all unpainted stainless steel bodywork since the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (featured in the Back to the Future movies). The panels of the Cybertruck are bolted directly onto a steel monocoque creating a literally bulletproof exoskeleton. Telsa claims that it can withstand up to 45-caliber and 9mm bullets as well as 12-gauge shotgun shells. And if you don’t believe them, there are some great YouTube videos to prove it.

The exterior appearance of the Cybertruck is like nothing ever made before, and of course it is a little divisive. Some love it, some hate it, but no one can deny that it stands out in a crowd and provides a real wow factor amidst the drag of everyday traffic.  Tesla design boss Franz von Holzhausen previously commented: “We realised that the pickup truck market hadn’t changed at all, so we wanted to do something dramatic that changed everything.”  I think we can all agree that they have achieved their goal.

On the inside, we find a generally familiar Telsa interior with a long, wide minimalist dash, interrupted only by an imposing 18.5-inch touchscreen. As with all Telsas, this is where all the controls and fun tech accessories are to be found, including the rear view mirror display because when the tonneau cover is closed over the back bed there is no rear window to see out of.

There is an additional 9.4-inch touchscreen for the rear seat passengers to control the entertainment system and climate control.  All the air vents are wonderfully hidden away too. Like all Teslas, there are no other physical buttons to play with, but there is plenty of legroom and headroom both front and rear in the very spacious cabin. 

The driver gets a uniquely hexagonal-shaped steering wheel, controlling the all-new variable ratio ‘drive by wire’ steering system. This means that you only have to turn the steering wheel one half turn to fully turn the front wheels (no more hand-over-hand steering needed). Combined with independent rear-wheel steering, the Cybertruck has amazing manoeuvrability for a vehicle its size.  And there are no stocks on the steering wheel either.  Indicators and wiper controls are now just buttons on the steering wheel.

Moving round to the back of the vehicle we find the steeply sloped tonneau cover (strong enough to stand on) which cleverly retracts with just the touch of a button.  The rear bed is huge (180cm x 137cm) and comes with cool LED light strips so you can see what you’re doing at night.  There is also a handy extra storage space hidden underneath the bed which can even double as a drink cooler if you fill it full of ice.  Power outlets in the rear allow you to run all sorts of electrical appliances. And of course for more storage space there is 200-litre Frunk.

The Tesla Cybertruck currently comes in two configurations: the 600hp Dual Motor all-wheel-drive and the 834hp triple motor Beast.  The Dual Motor version will do 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds and the Beast will do the same in just 2.6 seconds, which is crazy for a 3,000kg truck! (Check out the video of the Cybertruck drag racing a Porsche 911 while also towing a 911!).  Towing capacity for both models is close to 5,000kg, and top speeds are 180km/h and 209km/h respectively.  A single motor, rear-wheel-drive model is likely to be available in the future and will probably be sensible option for Macau drivers. The Cybertruck also features Tesla’s largest battery to date, 123kWh, which provides a driving range of around 550km and can charge from 10 to 50% in just under an hour.

While not available currently in Macau, the US market price is around US$80,000 for the Dual Motor model and US$100,000 for the Beast model. Who knows when it will finally arrive in Macau, so the price could be even less by that time. 

In the meantime, we will all just have to be content with watching other people enjoy the Cybertruck on YouTube! And you can still get your Tesla speed fix by test-driving the Model S Plaid!

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