- Tesla has increased the price of the most expensive Cybertruck variant by $15,000.
- For the extra cash, customers get the company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software and unlimited Supercharging.
- The lower trim levels are not affected by the price change.
The most expensive Tesla Cybertruck, known as the Cyberbeast, is now $15,000 more expensive. The change was made overnight, and the company didn’t advertise the price hike anywhere.
For the extra cash, the company is throwing in its so-called Full Self-Driving (Supervised) advanced driver assistance suite, which usually costs $8,000, as well as unlimited Supercharging, a four-year premium service pack, and premium connectivity.
Tesla’s updated pricing for the Cybertruck (prices shown do not include the shipping fee)
Photo by: Tesla
It’s all wrapped in a mandatory “Luxe Package,” which is not available for the other trim levels. This means that if someone wants the most powerful and fastest Cybertruck, the tri-motor Cyberbeast, they have to shell out $117,235, even if they don’t need the added extras. To make matters worse, the $7,500 federal tax credit isn’t available for this trim when buying with cash because its MSRP is over $80,000.
With the added extras and the higher price tag, the Cybertruck Cyberbeast now costs almost the same as a quad-motor Rivian R1T, which is more powerful (1,205 horsepower vs. 845 horsepower), faster (zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds vs. 2.6 seconds), and has more range (338 miles vs. 320 miles).
The only way to get a Cybertruck without the extra features is to go for a cheaper version, either the $72,235 bare-bones Long Range or the mid-range $82,235 All-Wheel Drive.
The change comes as sales of the Cybertruck have been lackluster, to say the least. In the second quarter, the controversial angular electric pickup truck recorded its worst sales figures in a year, with just 4,306 units finding new homes in three months.
Tesla made a similarly confusing decision for the slow-selling Model S and Model X late last week. The company added the same mandatory Luxe Package to both models’ trims, hiking the final price by $10,000.
With the lackluster sales performance of the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck, Tesla has long been relying on the high-volume Model 3 and Model Y to make money. However, the decision to make its most expensive cars even more expensive by stuffing them with features people don’t want isn’t going to help move the needle in the right direction.
