Elon Musk’s Cybertruck reaches 250 000 pre-orders in just five days

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk unveiled the revolutionary Cybertruck earlier this week. He has now confirmed that pre-orders exceeded 250 000 units and $10.5 billion in just five days.

Musk has been updating the figures on Twitter, tweeting that 146 000 pre-orders were reached on 23 November, 187 000 pre-orders on 24 November and 200 000 pre-orders on 25 November.

This makes the Cybertruck second only to Tesla’s Model 3, which was launched two years ago. Pre-orders to the value of $14 billion poured in with zero ad spend from Tesla.

Tesla spent $0 on marketing

What’s more, Musk and Tesla spend absolutely no money on advertising or paid endorsements. Musk unveiled the vehicle, Musk then went to do what Musk does, and the orders stream in.

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk gestures while introducing the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla Cybertruck at Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, California on 21 November 2019. Photo: AFP/Frederic J. Brown

It’s what investor and entrepreneur Mahesh Murthy refers to as the ‘Musk mystique’. While most people would need a budget for ad spend, Tesla is unique.

The ‘Musk mystique’

Murthy also adds that the traditional rules of marketing changed:

“My point was that today’s incredible global digital network of connections and social platforms ensures that a remark-worthy product needs no advertising. If you have a product worth talking about, there’s a network of 4 billion people who can get to hear of it without you spending a dime.”

Other than the ‘Musk mystique,’ it’s also important to note that the Cybertruck is a worthy contender, despite some critics harping on about the design and aesthetic.

There was the much-publicized tug-of-war between Ford and the truck; coupled with Musk’s announcement that the Cybertruck will be the company’s “last product unveil for a while.”

Fear not, Musk will not leave us hanging without hope. He added that “there will be some (mostly) unexpected technology announcements next year.”

A beast of a truck

Tesla unofficial marketing slogans claims that the Cybertruck is better than the Ford F150 and faster than a Porsche 911, with the truck capable of towing in excess of 14 000 pounds.

It can also go from 0 to 60 miles in less than 2.9 seconds. No matter how you look at it, that’s pretty darn impressive. Even if the window cracked during the unveiling.

The ‘armoured’ glass failed to stand up to a metal ball thrown at it, which left Musk a little red-faced. He did manage to inject some of his typically dry humour as he declared that Tesla “will fix it”.

Tesla is also a successful company despite the hype generated around the Cybertruck. In the last two years alone, the company introduced the Tesli Semi, a new Roadster, as well as the Model Y.

Even before the Cybertruck was unveiled, Tesla created about $25 billion in revenue, with the bulk of that – approximately $16 billion – coming from the Model 3 alone.

Musk has been toying with the idea of a Tesla Pick-up truck since 2012. The electric vehicle platform is ideally suited to the workload required from a pick-up truck.

Also read – ‘Whoa, It Worked’ – Elon Musk sends first Tweet via SpaceX’s Starlink system