The upcoming Tesla pickup truck is the next big thing in the pickup truck industry. There are quite a few things we already know about the truck, like its towing capacity (up to 300,000 pounds) and starting price (under $50,000), but we still don’t know what it’ll be called; well, we didn’t know until now. During Tesla’s third-quarter 2019 earnings conference call, Musk referred the pickup truck as the "Cybertruck" while calling it the company’s “best product ever.” Was this just a nickname, or will it just be called "Cybertruck?" And what happened to the "Model" moniker?

What Do We Make Of The Cybertruck name?

I’m still trying to contemplate if this was a slip-up or Musk did actually reveal the name. The ‘verbal reveal’ happened when an analyst from Deutsche Bank asked Musk for updates on the pickup truck during Tesla’s Q3 call. He asked, “Hi. It's Edison on for Emmanuel. Thanks for taking our questions. First, there's been a lot of activity in the industry about electric pickups lately. Just curious if you have any updates, any more insights you can share on the one that you're about to put out later?”

Elon responded to the question by saying,

So, the range now is CyberS3XY? That doesn’t sound bad, does it?

The Cybertruck Announcement Is Already Reaping Benefits For Tesla

Despite incurring heavy R&D costs for the Cybertruck, Tesla reported a profitable quarter. Although analysts expected losses of 42 cents per share, Tesla reported earnings of $1.86 per share, much to everyone’s surprise. Musk owns 22 percent of Tesla’s stock which spiked nearly 24 percent in the last week of October. This increased Musk’s net worth by $2 billion, to $22.9 billion, making him the 21st richest person in America.

Let’s Recap What We Know About The Tesla Pickup Truck So Far

- Dual motors - standard

- Dynamic suspension - standard

- 500 miles range on a single charge

It will most likely come with a range of 500 miles on a single charge.

The performance bit will play a key role in these new-gen electric trucks, and at the 2019 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting held earlier this year, Musk compared its pickup to the base Porsche 911.

Tesla is known to offer some amazing gizmos and features inside its vehicles. The Musk-led company will look to leave no stones unturned, so you can expect it to be much better than its primary rivals, the Rivian R1T and the electric Ford F-150. Even in terms of range, Tesla has billions more of real-world miles of data when compared to Rivian's infant steps in the same department.

However, Ford released a video of the electric F-150 prototype that towed 1.25 million pounds to nullify the advantage.

Summon With The Press Of A Button

. Although this is quite an intriguing feature, many owners had mishaps with it. According to Forbes, U.S. auto-safety regulators told that it is looking into accident reports involving Smart Summon.Hunt a little and you will find loads of videos where the experience has not been very fruitful. Keep in mind, though, that you are still responsible for your car and must monitor it at all times. Musk also stated that a full self-driving feature with Smart Summon will be given early access to “feature-complete” full self-driving capabilities by the end of the year.

There Is No Dearth Of Renderings

The Tesla Cybertruck (yeah, get used to reading that from now on) was recently rendered by a digital media company called TurboSquid. We have seen loads of renderings before, but this is one of the most detailed ones out there. The 3D render is actually quite cool since the company has imagined the interior as well. It seems to be inspired by the Tesla Semi truck in and out. The cockpit has only the driver’s seat located in the center. The dash features two screens on either side of the steering wheel. Behind the driver’s seats is a bench that can seat three people. This 3D render can be purchased from the company’s website for $99 and can be used for video games, or any other virtual setting. Fancy, huh?

Musk Is Such A Geek!

The pickup truck is supposed to be unveiled this month, and there is a big reason why. Everyone knows how big of a Blade Runner fan Musk is. He has said in the past that the Tesla Pickup Truck will have a ‘really futuristic-like cyberpunk Blade Runner’ design. Is this a coincidence? Of course not! Thanks to Twitteratis for bringing this to everyone’s attention. One thing we can now be sure of is that the Cybertruck’s launch won’t be pushed anymore.

If the launch is happening in Los Angeles in November, it points to the LA Auto Show that will begin on the 22nd of November 2019. But the automaker is not known to attend auto shows, so if we were to speculate where the launch would be, I would say at a standalone event, like most of its other launches to date. However, if by some miracle Tesla decides to launch it at an auto show, it would most likely be at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. Another aspect playing in favor of this is that California is Tesla’s home ground - Tesla’s factory is in Fremont, whereas its headquarters lie in Palo Alto. What if Musk hosts a standalone event that clashes with the LA Auto Show? That would be one hell of a way to announce the Cybertruck’s arrival!

Final Thoughts

Pricing-wise, the Tesla Cybertruck will start retailing at under $50,000. The Rivian R1T, on the other hand, will start at around $69,000 and is expected to be launched in late 2020. Although the Cybertruck will be showcased soon, it has a long way to go before the production version starts rolling out. Tesla is yet to figure out where the Cybertruck will be built. Given the hype surrounding it, I’m guessing Tesla will be looking at a new facility to build the truck in large volumes. Coming back to name badge, I like the Cybertruck moniker. What are your thoughts on it? Share them with us in the comments section below.