Musk: Tesla’s Upcoming Pickup Truck ‘Might’ Be Ready This Summer
The Tesla boss anticipates producing the electric pickup after it launches the Model Y in 2020.
After posting its second consecutive profitable quarter, Tesla held its respective earnings call to discuss the current status of the company and its visions moving towards the future. CEO Elon Musk was the largely the center of the call and spoke of several "very exciting initiatives" that Tesla had in the works; one of which is the Tesla pickup, which "might" be ready for a summer reveal.
Tesla is slated to reveal its Model Y on March 15, meaning that a summertime showing of the pickup would place Tesla with two back-to-back product reveals. This seems unlikely but isn't unheard of with Tesla. When the automaker revealed its electric Semi, it also brought the next-generation Roadster alongside for an Apple-like "one more thing" reveal. Perhaps Tesla may delay the unveiling of the Model Y to align with the reveal of the pickup.
Tesla previously mentioned that it would build its pickup directly after it launches the Model Y, which is set to go into production in early 2020.
During the quarterly earnings call, Musk spoke in his usual flabbergasted manner, stating that the pickup would be a very unique truck, unlike anything else. He felt confident that the pickup was complete enough to begin talking about a reveal, but was rather unwilling to put a hard window of time on the table. We're not sure what to expect product-wise, however, Musk did joke about making a "mini version" of the Tesla Semi over Twitter.
Other automakers are quickly looking to fill the electric pickup segment. Ford confirmed that it was working to develop an electric F-Series pickup truck while Rivian unveiled its stunning RT1 concept at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. General Motors, however, believes that electric pickups are still decades away.
Tesla is currently hard at work to find ways to make its long-promised $35,000 Model 3 available to the public. Perhaps after it squares away the details behind affordability and launches its upcoming Model Y crossover, the pickup will become a viable target for production. One thing is for certain for all automakers: the race to bring an electric pickup to market is on.