Aside from the obvious, Tesla is not a car company that fits into the typical mold of the historically significant players up to this point. Elon Musk’s company chooses when and what to report on an occasionally erratic timetable that seems a tad suspicious to critics of the EV giant.
However, it seems that Tesla is following one of the tried-and-true moneymaking strategies we’ve seen repeatedly in the autoverse. With the introduction of a new highly anticipated vehicle, whether that is the Chevrolet Corvette or the Maserati GranTurismo, price points are typically highest in the beginning, subject to occasional (and often insane) dealer markups, in an attempt to capitalize on demand. But, when that demand begins to wane, it is time to add new trims or variations to the lineup and, of course, cut prices to allow a whole new customer base entry into the exclusive club of XYZ car or truck. In this case, it is the Cybertruck.
The Cybertruck was as popular in auto headlines as the Dallas Cowboys and Lebron James are for sports talk radio. Polarizing, yet love-it-or-hate-it, consumers can’t help but take an interest. But, now that the production run of the Foundation Series is complete (or Tesla decided to stop naming them as such), both the Cybertruck and the top-tier Cyberbeast are experiencing a very hefty price drop.
Both Cybertrucks’ prices have each dropped by $20,000
The AWD Cybertruck was listed just a few short months ago with a starting price of $99,990 and has now dropped a full twenty grand to $74,490. That number can fall all the way down to $66,990 if you check off the $7,500 Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit, which the Cybertruck now qualifies for. Tesla also includes a curious “Estimated 5-Year Gas Savings of $5,500,” which assumes five years of ownership at an estimated 20 mpg for an average of 13,000 miles per year and a fuel cost of $3.30 per gallon versus an electric cost of $0.16 per kilowatt hour.
The top-tier Cyberbeast, which had a base price of $119,990 earlier this year, is now listed at $99,990. No government rebate is available, as the Cyberbeast’s base price still exceeds the maximum allowable by law, but you can still choose to deduct the gas savings price if the $94,490 feels better to look at. Also, probably not a coincidence, the Beast now has the exact same starting price point as the AWD model did before.
Where is the single-motor RWD Cybertruck?
As we mentioned earlier, Tesla sometimes does things that some find questionable. So, with the new and improved price points for both the devastatingly fast Cyberbeast and versatile AWD Cybertruck, where is the single motor RWD base model on Tesla’s website for $60,990 until August of this year? Well, it’s not available at the moment. This move will most likely entice potential new customers to dig just a bit deeper in their pockets for a bit of extra cash and upgrade to the AWD model.
Assuming these huge price cuts help drive Cybertruck (and Cyberbeast) sales up for a time, once that wave starts to decline, we have a sneaking suspicion that suddenly the base RWD Cybertruck will magically (okay, digitally) reappear on Tesla’s website, more than likely for an even lower price than when it left.
