- Tesla unveiled its first truck, the Cybertruck, on Thursday evening.
- The Cybertruck is a six-passenger pickup the company says has three motors, armored glass, and up to 500 miles of range. It has an angular design.
- Twitter has been busily roasting the Cybertruck since the unveiling, with many people saying it looks like a vehicle out of a badly rendered video game.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Tesla’s new Cybertruck has not had the easiest start.
CEO Elon Musk unveiled the $39,900 Cybertruck on Thursday night. This is Tesla’s first truck, which Musk has been hyping up for months.
Tesla says Cybertruck is made of a heavy-duty stainless steel and armored glass and can carry six people with a maximum range of 500 miles.
The presentation itself hit a snag when Musk tried to show off the truck’s armored windows – and his lead designer promptly smashed them.
But it seems the Cybertruck has more to worry about than a hiccup in its unveiling. Its angular and blocky design is being widely derided on Twitter and across the internet.
The Cybertruck reveal is the scene they put in an Elon biopic to communicate “hitting rock bottom”
— Visionary Director Scott Wampler™ (@ScottWamplerBMD) November 22, 2019
cybertruck is what you get when you fire everyone that says no to you
— Kris Straub (@krisstraub) November 22, 2019
The Cybertruck is already drawing comparisons to everything from scenes from old-school video games to doorstop wedges. Here are some of our favorite aesthetic comparisons being made online to the new Tesla Cybertruck:
Some people said the truck's blocky design reminded them of a badly rendered video game.
Damn I gotta get a better graphics card. Tesla #Cybertruck looks like shit at these low render distances. pic.twitter.com/fetnfIjuUj
— Robert Rowe (@RoweGuy7429) November 22, 2019
Tesla cybertruck lookin like an HD port of a PS1 game
— Arin Hanson, you say? (@egoraptor) November 22, 2019
Same Energy #CyberTruck pic.twitter.com/jlEjxRBzSZ
— King's Letter (@TheKingsletter) November 22, 2019
The video game comparisons didn't end there. Some compared the design to the Warthog, an all-terrain vehicle from the "Halo" franchise — though this isn't necessarily a bad thing to some customers.
Wow the new Tesla #Cybertruck is sweet. pic.twitter.com/cW0yUbTVuD
— Windows Central Gaming (@WCGamingTweets) November 22, 2019
Just preordered the #Cybertruck and im going to to get a wrap to make it actually look like a warthog!
— KEEM 🍿 (@KEEMSTAR) November 22, 2019
One user said its aesthetic came straight from the surreal game "Death Stranding."
*plays death stranding once* #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/SzeBB1iY0I
— kylo em ✨ (@retzae) November 22, 2019
The Cybertruck's sharp angles also drew comparisons to Porygon, of the original Pokémon.
Tesla truck said #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/nPmhzZk7ow
— Juan ⚡️ (@juanskindiary) November 22, 2019
I'm telling my kids this is a #Cybertruck. pic.twitter.com/nZtOVeUIKy
— Ａｕｇｎｏｓ (@AugnosMusic) November 22, 2019
Others compared the unveiling to the car designed by Homer Simpson in the 1991 "Simpsons" episode "O Brother Where Art Thou."
Leaked footage of the design meetings for the Tesla #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/AYUfuco0V8
— Kristian Sturt (@FootieWriter) November 22, 2019
live look at elon musk #cybertruck pic.twitter.com/fhk6sEbfGW
— NeoN: Automataster (@neontaster) November 22, 2019
Some said the Tesla car looks straight out of the 1991 sci-fi movie "Total Recall" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Elon Musk must really love the movie Total Recall. #cybertruck #Tesla pic.twitter.com/8SEPFH8dsJ
— EV (@vander_living) November 22, 2019
#Cybertruck vs one of the prop cars from TOTAL RECALL (1990) 🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/1Sn1FHlW1J
— Matt (@themattprov) November 22, 2019
gonna tell my kids this was the Tesla #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/IgqcHoxiQS
— Campbell Simpson (@csimps0n) November 22, 2019
Twitter users also got strong "Back to the Future" DeLorean vibes from the Tesla truck. Considering the Cybertruck's armored windows couldn't hold up, it's unclear how successful it would be as a time-traveling vehicle.
You built a truck out of a Delorean? #tesla #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/zoyjiYAZdV
— Britany Crown (@BritanyCrown) November 22, 2019
Telsa's #Cybertruck is giving me real "Delorean on steroids" vibes pic.twitter.com/e9Vy0emRof
— Marc Nevin (@M_Nevin) November 22, 2019
A Google research scientist tweeted that the angular car was reminiscent of the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, a festival celebrated in some East Asian countries in which people buy paper models of material goods and home comforts to burn and send to their ancestors.
Elon Musk's Cybertruck reminds me of paper cars burned and offered to deceased relatives during Tomb Sweeping Festival (清明節) to ensure that ancestors are not short of material comforts in the afterworld.https://t.co/ZLTOK96Tnv pic.twitter.com/YdRTdNCfN8
— hardmaru (@hardmaru) November 22, 2019
To some, the Cybertruck reminded them of a wooden block toy car they played with years ago.
i’m gonna tell my kids this was the new tesla #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/7ctpzQZuEa
— yadeer (@yadeer_) November 22, 2019
Others recognized the car's shape from simplistic child-like drawings made in the early days of using computer drawing programs like Microsoft Paint.
Elon: ....andddd print.#Cybertruck #CYBRTRK pic.twitter.com/MMNO8Na03c
— Ni (@Avo_NP) November 22, 2019
I designed cybertruck when I was in pre k #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/YQiZJC6zGE
— carlos (@badassLoss) November 22, 2019
Several Twitter users roasted the Cybertruck's unflattering resemblance to a rubber doorstop wedge.
I don't understand what the fuss is about the Tesla #Cybertruck. It looks ok to me. pic.twitter.com/8vBl1jS74T
— dave appleby (@dave_apple) November 22, 2019
The new #Cybertruck looks great. pic.twitter.com/goqWqGfv10
— Pidgem (@TheOtherPidgem) November 22, 2019
Other people wondered whether Musk drew inspiration from basketball star Kobe Bryant's futuristic Adidas Kobe 2 sneakers.
Elon owes Kobe mad royalties for the #cybertruck. Black Mamba can't be happy at all rn pic.twitter.com/jtlGG9zWl2
— Raymond Wong📱💾📼 (@raywongy) November 22, 2019
$tsla cybertruck is the "Kobe 2" of pickup trucks - pic.twitter.com/kmiyDgX5Z8
— andykat (@hilinetrail) November 22, 2019
Critics went as far as to compare the Cybertruck to the Pontiac Aztek, an older car that's been called "the biggest failure in automotive history."
Pontiac: We present the Aztek!
Tesla: Hold my beer. #CyberTruck pic.twitter.com/iNAOw5aDcu
— Tank (@Tank_Adams) November 22, 2019
Winner of the Pontiac Aztec Reboot! #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/6bOmWgyb83
— Troy Gorostiza (@tgorostiza) November 22, 2019
#Cybertruck is basically the Pontiac Aztek... We had such high hopes Elon. pic.twitter.com/XttzZpQBo9
— jonasclark (@jonasclark) November 22, 2019
Source: Thrillist
But Cybertruck design reminded people of other retro, out-of-date cars as well.
I’m telling my kids this was the Tesla cybertruck #teslatruck #tesla #Cybertruck pic.twitter.com/492Fd97rYM
— Joseph Bue (@joseph_bue1) November 22, 2019
The new #Tesla #Cybertruck looks like the 1970s Dome Zero, with these old Saturn doors that didn't dent. pic.twitter.com/cxJ1t0BFXo
— Kevin Cleroux (@Kevin8se7en) November 22, 2019
However, the truck's exterior wasn't the only part that took a hammering. It remains to be seen whether the ridicule facing Cybertruck's design will be an impediment to its sales.
"What happened to you??"
"Got in an accident in my new #Cybertruck. Smashed my face right on the marble fucking countertop..." pic.twitter.com/KLbhjEGY1F
— JT (@Jrtarl) November 22, 2019
