A Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series has been spotted at a BYD facility in China. Is it getting reverse-engineered?
There are still a lot of questions unanswered about whether or not the Cybertruck program is a success.
Some Tesla fans are claiming it is based on the fact that it is the best-selling electric pickup truck in the US. However, Tesla achieved that with the first year of Cybertruck production thanks to a backlog of over 1 million reservations.
It will be interesting to see how it fairs next year after having exhausted its backlog of reservations after having delivered 40,000 to 50,000 trucks. We already see some demand issues as Tesla started discounting the Cybertruck through its referral program and lower leases.
While the jury is still out about whether or not the Cybertruck program is a success, as I noted in my review, there’s undoubtedly impressive technology in the truck. Technology that some other automakers might be interested in learning more about.
That’s why it’s interesting to see a Tesla Cybertruck spotted at a BYD facility in China (via X):
In the short video, we see a bunch of men intently looking into the vehicle before entering what is reportedly a BYD facility.
BYD is both a competitor and supplier to Tesla. The Chinese mega-corporation is the world’s best-seller of electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs), and it is closing in on Tesla for BEVs on top of being the second largest producer of battery cells, which it supplies to Tesla, behind CATL.
In the auto industry, it’s normal to buy vehicles from other automakers to benchmark or reverse-engineer them.
The Cybertruck is not available for sale in China, and therefore, BYD is had to buy one in the US and import it in China.
There are a lot of rumors right now about Tesla potentially launching the Cybertruck in the world’s biggest auto market.