Tesla has delivered one of the very first Cybertrucks to a customer who is not a Tesla employee and it came with some ridiculous panel gaps. A rear panel even looks like it is falling off.
How is Tesla not catching those before delivery?
In the past, Tesla has often been criticized for its fit and finishes. However, it is generally accepted that the quality has improved over the years, and now Tesla’s latest products, like the Model Y, receive better reviews in that regard.
When it comes to Cybertruck, there have been concerns because of the nature of the design of the electric pickup.
CEO Elon Musk told Tesla employees that they need to pay extra attention to the Cybertruck’s fit and finish because “any dimensional variation shows up like a sore thumb” due to its metal finish and straight edges.
Tesla delivered the first few Cybertrucks mainly to employees and when they were spotted in the wild, they didn’t look bad.
But now Tesla has delivered a Cybertruck to one of the first customers who is not a Tesla employee and the fit and finish is not what you would expect in a $100,000 truck.
The owner posted some pictures to the Cybertruck Owners’ Club after taking delivery and some of the panel gaps are pretty bad:
In the first picture, it looks like the side body panel is literally peeling away from the vehicle’s frame.
Tesla should be able to fix that, but it is worrying that the automaker would even let that vehicle leave its factory, or even go to the delivery center, and then deliver it to the customer with some clear defects.
Many people dropped the ball to let that happen.
Electrek’s Take
When Tesla launched a new vehicle program, we do expect issues early in the production ramp, but it is still hard to understand how Tesla thinks it’s OK to deliver a $100,000 vehicle like that.
You need to catch these defects before delivery.
We used to see that during end-of-quarter pushes when Tesla was rushing to deliver every vehicle it can before the quarter closes, but this is early in a new quarter with a new vehicle program still at low volume. You want to make a good impression. You know people are watching closely.
It makes no sense to me.