Skip to main content

Watch Tesla’s Cybertruck cruise the streets of New York City

Tesla’s futuristic Cybertruck pickup was spotted cruising through the streets of New York City on Saturday, May 8, just hours before Elon Musk, the company’s flamboyant CEO, hosted Saturday Night Live.

Tesla tweeted a short clip showing the pickup — or a prototype of the as-yet-unreleased vehicle — passing by Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

Cybertruck in NYC pic.twitter.com/Q7JnSo1QoX

— Tesla (@Tesla) May 8, 2021

Around the same time, folks who saw the all-electric Cybertruck rumble by also started posting videos on social media …

Tesla Cybertruck in Times Square.#cybertruck pic.twitter.com/65BIn9WNsY

— 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐢𝐡𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧 (@ericrihlmann) May 8, 2021

Yup that’s the #cybertruck at the #Tesla #meatpacking showroom I see #NYC $tslapic.twitter.com/PWNHOCmxH3

— Susan Li (@SusanLiTV) May 8, 2021

It’s not the first time the vehicle has been spotted in the wild, though it is the first time for it to show up in New York City.

Tesla took the wraps off the Cybertruck in November 2019, describing it at the time as incorporating “the utility of a truck with sports car performance.”

The vehicle will be manufactured at a new plant that’s currently under construction in Austin, Texas. Tesla is aiming to launch the Cybertruck onto the market by the end of 2021, but that date could slip.

Pre-orders have been available since the vehicle’s unveiling, with reports last summer suggesting that more than 650,000 people have so far dropped the required $100 deposit to secure their place in line.

The vehicle will be available in three configurations. The best-priced $39,900 version features a single electric motor, a 250-mile range, and a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds.

The $49,900 dual-motor version, which has so far proved most popular, offers a 300-mile range and a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds.

Finally, there’s the $69,900 tri-motor model, with a 500-mile range and a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds.

While any new product from Tesla is guaranteed to make international headlines, the Cybertruck garnered even more attention after a spectacular on-stage flub in a stunt that was supposed to highlight the strength of the Cybertruck’s “unbreakable” windows. When a steel ball thrown at one of the vehicle’s side windows shattered the glass, Musk, who was on stage at the time, said, “Maybe that was a little too hard.”

On-stage unveils always carry with them a high degree of risk. Check out this video compilation featuring the most awkward calamities from the world of tech to hit some of the biggest names in the business.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Elon Musk touts Tesla’s new Cyberwhistle with dig at Apple
Tesla's Cyberwhistle and box.

Tesla's latest product isn't a new electric car but instead a $50 stainless steel whistle with a design inspired by the company's yet-to-launch Cybertruck.

The limited-edition "Cyberwhistle" (below) landed in Tesla’s online store on Tuesday.

Read more
Tesla Cybertruck delay means it won’t hit the road until next year
Tesla's Cybertruck.

Tesla’s all-electric Cybertruck -- yes, the one with the unspeakably wacky design -- has suffered a production delay that means it won’t start shipping until 2022.

The original plan had been for large-scale production to begin by the end of this year, but a recent change to the Cybertruck’s listing on Tesla’s website, spotted by Electrek, reveals a new launch schedule.

Read more
Elon Musk says there’s a chance the Cybertruck could flop
Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk stands in front of the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla's Cybertruck

Going up against the likes of Ford’s popular F-150 pickup and sporting a space-age design that has split opinion, Tesla boss Elon Musk has admitted that the automaker’s Cybertruck could struggle when it hits the market later this year.

Responding to a tweet from Tesla Owners Online that predicted that the all-electric Cybertruck will be “a huge hit,” the billionaire entrepreneur said somewhat surprisingly, “To be frank, there is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else.”

Read more