Tesla ‘s new Cybertruck debuted today. The angular, futuristic vehicle that looks nothing like a truck is getting compared to the DeLorean, the ill-fated ’80s sports car that was prominently featured in the Back to the Future franchise.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , the Tesla Cybertruck, the electric vehicle manufacturer’s entry into the pickup truck market, debuted today. And, it went horribly. For one thing, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in an attempt to show off the vehicle’s “armor glass” windows, invited Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen to throw a metal ball at a window, promptly shattering it. A flustered Musk then asked von Holzhausen to throw a ball at the rear window, to the same effect.
But beyond Musk’s apparent misreading of his product’s features, the Cybertruck failed in another spectacular way as well: the general public, by and large, seems to hate it. The general consensus on the internet seems to be that the vehicle is uglier than sin and bears little resemblance to a pickup truck.
In fact, it’s getting compared to the DeLorean, a sports car that came and went in the 1980s and would have been forgotten but for its association with the Back to the Future franchise.
What is happening guys I really like the #cybertruck and I’m not a big Tesla guy but I’m thinking about putting down the $100 deposit. People initially disliked the DeLorean too so #CyberTruck could be a time traveling icon in a few years i kinda want #CyberTruck god help me pic.twitter.com/VdbkSVNE6N
— GucciBlaine (@blainestarkson) November 22, 2019
Comparing the vehicle to the DeLorean is not a compliment, however. The vehicle, which like the Cybertruck was made of stainless steel, was widely considered a hunk of junk. Its performance and power didn’t match its $25,000 price tag, an amount of money that was a king’s ransom in 1981. That price is roughly equivalent to about $70,000 in today’s money. The only real benefit to the car was that it could be easily cleaned with a bottle of Comet. And, its stainless steel construction made it perfect for time travel, as Doc Brown explained to Marty McFly in the original Back to the Future film.
One Twitter user compared the vehicle to the Pontiac Aztek, another ugly, angular and largely forgotten piece of car manufacturing lore.
“This is what you get when a DeLorean f*cks a Pontiac Aztek,” the user tweeted .
Bruh, the Tesla Cybertruck looks like a low-poly DeLorean lmao pic.twitter.com/H5CjGk2fZW
— goog (@cringetweet2) November 22, 2019
Another Twitter user wondered aloud what happened in the board room when Tesla green-lighted the project.
Tesla advisors: “We need to make a pickup truck that is affordable and appealing to a wide audience that also has a decent range while loaded down with extra weight.”
Elon Musk: BULLETPROOF MONSTER TRUCK DELOREAN
— The AZ – abc15 – Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) November 22, 2019
Other users were quick to note the Back to the Future connection.
“You turned a DeLorean into a dump truck?” Worst BTTF remake so far pic.twitter.com/FCmcbXh5x5
— jon rosenberg??? (@jonrosenberg) November 22, 2019
Did he get Homer Simpson to design this SCI-FI car from the 1960’s #EmperorsNewClothes c’mon it sucks / blows, it’s a 2019 Delorean. pic.twitter.com/f0IgcWYJER
— Peter Verity (@SciFiHack) November 22, 2019
Whether or not the Cybertruck will go the way of the DeLorean and end up in history as another vanity project by a car manufacturer with more money than sense or become the standard-bearer for the electric pickup truck market, remains to be seen.