Shocker, a $39,900 version of the Cybertruck won't happen anytime soon

Elon Musk said that the Cybertruck would start at $39,900 when he unveiled it in 2019.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images

Anticipation is building ahead of the Cybertruck’s launch – but the price is still unclear.
Tesla said it would sell a single-motor version for $39,900 when it announced the Cybertruck.
But regulatory filings suggest the cheaper two-wheel drive Cybertruck won’t be available at launch.

A cheap version of Tesla’s Cybertruck is unlikely to happen anytime soon, according to a document submitted to a U.S. federal agency.

A vehicle identification form submitted by Tesla to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirms that the carmaker will not be offering a cheaper two-wheel drive version of the Cybertruck at launch, as it initially planned when it unveiled the electric pickup in 2019.

Back then, Tesla said it would aim to ship three versions: a single motor rear-wheel drive priced at $39,900, a dual motor all-wheel drive for $49,900, and a triple motor variant for $69,900.

That pricing model was set out before the economy took a nosedive and the Cybertruck was delayed multiple times.

Musk has been clear that the final version of the distinctive pickup was always likely to be more expensive at launch, noting at a shareholder meeting in 2022 that “a lot has changed” since Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck.

However, the document submitted to the NHTSA with the Cybertruck’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), a string of digits that appears on every vehicle to provide information about its manufacturer and model, suggests that the electric truck will only launch with dual motor and triple motor variants, with the cheaper single motor version conspicuously absent.

The lack of a budget version of the Cybertruck, at least at launch, will come as a blow to would-be buyers who will now likely only have the more expensive models to choose from.

Tesla has still not revealed the prices of its highly-anticipated pickup, despite the Cybertruck’s November 30 launch date approaching fast. But it is unlikely to be cheap, with battery prices not having fallen as much as expected in 2019 and the Cybertruck’s distinctive design causing headaches as Tesla attempts to scale up production.

In Tesla’s latest earnings call, Musk said that the company had “dug its own grave” with its design choices for the Cybertruck. He told investors that the truck’s unique features, including its stainless steel body, would make it costly and time-consuming to scale production.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.