Tesla unveils electric pickup truck but armored glass breaks during demo

Elon Musk surprised as window cracks in the shape of a spider's web

Tesla on Thursday unveiled its electric pickup truck with a futuristic angular body in gunmetal gray that looked like an armored vehicle, as the California company took aim at the heart of Detroit carmakers' profits.

With a starting price of $39,900, the Cyber truck is less expensive than initially flagged but its polarising design could limit sales in a segment symbolic of a rugged, practical American lifestyle.

At a launch event in Los Angeles, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said other versions will be priced at $49,900 and $69,900 with the most expensive offering a range of more than 500 miles (800 km). Production is expected to begin around late 2021.

“We need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pickup truck, we can’t solve it. The top three selling vehicles in America are pickup trucks. To solve sustainable energy, we have to have a pickup truck,” he said.

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The truck’s hulking sharp geometric body was made from stainless steel, set atop massive tires and had windows made from armored glass.

Mr Musk claimed the truck's "ultra-hard" exterior "won't scratch and dent". But the armored glass window cracked like a spider web when hit with a metal ball during a demonstration. Musk appeared surprised although he noted the glass had not completely broken.

The truck marks the first foray by Tesla, whose Model 3 saloon is the world's top-selling battery electric car, into pickup trucks, a market dominated by Ford Motor Co's F-150, along with models by General Motors Co, and Fiat Chrysler. - Reuters