Elon Musk Says There's Chance Cybertruck Will Flop, Looks Like it Was Built By Aliens

The Tesla Cybertruck has one of the most unique designs on the market, and no one apparently thinks so more than Elon Musk himself, who tweeted on Thursday that even if the vehicle "flops," he still loves it. The tweet was warranted after an online op-ed was published by the website The Truth About Cars entitled, "Tesla's Cybertruck Will be Company's First Flop." Musk agreed with the prediction that the vehicle would not sell in very high numbers. In response, Musk tweeted, "To be frank, there is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else. I don't care. I love it so much even if others don't." "Other trucks look like copies of the same thing, but Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future," he added. After the unveiling of the all-electric Cybertruck in November 2019, consumers shared that they were both horrified and fascinated with the modern-looking design. "My first impression was shock and horror. This thing just conveys dystopia, it conveys a war zone, a combat vehicle," said Paul Snyder, chair of transportation design at Detroit's College for Creative Studies, according to Forbes. "[It] just seems like it has a potential to escalate into an aesthetic that is just very unappealing and harsh." However, Forbes also reported that the Cybertruck received 250,000 pre-bookings within a week of its launch, and now has over one million reservations, obviously proving its popularity despite mixed reviews. The op-ed, written by Tim Healey, also described the looks of the vehicle as "a one-off Hot Wheels toy come to life." "I think the Cybertruck just won't sell well, and Tesla will soon find itself working on a more conventional electric pickup," Healey said. Healey also wrote that he was aware of the number of reservations the truck has received, but ultimately argued that "reservations don't translate into sales." After his initial response, Musk said in later tweets that Tesla is keeping with the same product design that it unveiled in 2019, making only "some small tweaks here and there to make it slightly better." He also mentioned that there are no door handles on the car, referencing an identification system the vehicle will use that is rumored to be powered by Samsung cameras that will recognize the owner. Musk revealed to investors back in January that he expects production and delivery of the Cybertruck to happen in the next year or so. "If we get lucky," Musk said in an earnings call with investors, "we'll be able to do a few deliveries toward the end of this year, but I expect volume production to be in 2022." Newsweek reached out to Tesla for additional comment but has yet to receive a response.