Electric car pioneer Elon Musk said Sunday night that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) received 200,000 "orders" for its Cybertruck, following an embarrassing debut.
Hours earlier, Musk tweeted that Tesla had received 187,000 "orders." A prospective Cybertruck owner must pay Tesla a refundable, $100 "pre-order fee." In his boastful tweet on Saturday, Musk conflated orders with preorders, which are distinct from final commitments to purchase the Cybertruck.
On Saturday, the CEO wrote: "146k Cybertruck orders so far, with 42% choosing dual, 41% tri & 17% single motor." It’s less costly to pre-order a Cybertruck than it has been to order previous electric vehicles unveiled by Tesla. For example, to pre-order one of Tesla’s forthcoming crossover SUVs, the Model Y, customers had to lay down a heftier $2,500 deposit. In 2016, Tesla took pre-orders for the Model 3 at $1,000 a pop.
No matter the take rate, pre-orders for the Cybertruck are one indication that Tesla’s marketing game remains strong as ever. Tesla unveiled its Cybertruck design and specifications at a promotional event in Los Angeles on Thursday. The vehicle looks like a big metallic trapezoid and has a starting price of $39,900.
At the unveiling, Musk tried to showcase the Cybertruck’s durability by having the company’s design chief hurl a metal ball at one of the Cybertruck’s armored glass windows. The window ended up cracking. Then another ball was thrown at another window and it shattered, too.
Even so, shares in TSLA leaped $9.89, or 3%, to $342.93
