Elon Musk Shares First-Ever Teaser of Upcoming ‘Cyberpunk’ Tesla Pickup Truck
Problem is, we’re not sure what we’re looking at.
Not a single person caught the teaser at the Tesla Model Y unveiling. Attendees who were present after the webcast cut missed a crucial split-second teaser, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter during the early morning hours of Friday. The automaker did indeed tease something special but didn't reveal what it was until several hours later: the Tesla Pickup.
You might be wondering what the hell you're looking at because I (along with the rest of Twitter) certainly was confused by the photo. Musk had previously said that the pickup would appear to be futuristic. In fact, he referenced Blade Runner which should have been a clue given that Tesla rolled the Blade Runner credits after the Model Y presentation.
While many believed this to be a teaser of the bed with a tonneau cover equipped, we have a slightly different theory achieved by rotating the photo slightly:
The iconic flying car in Blade Runner was known as the Spinner. Its long, wedge-shaped windshield also acted as a panoramic roof and method of entry. We're not convinced that the Tesla pickup will have a cockpit-style entry system, but perhaps Musk as plans to mimic the wedge-shape of the Spinner with the pickup.
“Well I can’t talk about the details, but it’s gonna be like a really futuristic-like cyberpunk, 'Blade Runner' pickup truck. It’s gonna be awesome, it’s gonna be amazing. This will be heart-stopping. It stops my heart. It’s like, oh, it’s great,” said Musk in an interview on Recode's Decode Podcast, later continuing: “It’s something I’ve been wanting to make for a long time. If there’s only a small number of people that like that truck, I guess we’ll make a more conventional truck in the future. But it’s the thing that I am personally most fired up about.”
Crazy theories aside, Musk is setting the bar high for the pickup. Various Tweets that the CEO has made in the past indicate that it's his current pet project and it'll be something unconventional; "something quite unique, unlike anything else."
Tesla is expected to unveil the pickup sometime in 2020, though Musk has made comments about potentially revealing it sooner if everything falls into place.