Tesla Cybertruck arrives in Australia

The Tesla Cybertruck has made its Australian debut and is now being officially spruiked here as part of a roadshow to gauge buyer interest.

Officially dubbed the Cybertruck Tour Down Under 2024, the promotional tour Down Under comes after Tesla halted Aussie Cybertruck orders in May 2022.

But the local publicity stunt suggests that might change for the controversial electric 4x4 dual-cab, which was first revealed as a concept in 2019, promised for production by 2021 and released last year in North America, which remains the only market in which it’s sold – for now.

It’s understood that Tesla has been reticent to invest the capital required to develop and manufacture the Cybertruck for right-hand drive markets such as Australia, but the local tour is part of a regional roadshow that has seen the polarising pick-up visit RHD nations including Japan and Thailand.

While Tesla still hasn’t confirmed whether or when Australians will again be able to order the Cybertruck, the EV-maker has confirmed it will not be sold in Europe.

However, this tantalising taste test in the Asia-Pacific region suggests the company may be seeking to deploy the controversial vehicle more broadly across the globe.

In recent days Tesla Australia and New Zealand published footage of a left-hand drive dual-motor Cybertruck cruising aver the Sydney Harbour bridge on its Instagram page, and countless photos of the dual-cab EV spotted in and around Sydney have been posted to social media.

The Tesla pick-up will be on display at four Tesla showrooms in NSW across the following dates:

It’s understood Tesla will also transport the stainless steel-clad full-size pick-up truck to Victoria and Queensland for similar promotional duties.

There are also Tesla showrooms in Tasmania, South Australia, Canberra and West Australia, but it’s unclear whether the Cybertruck will make its way to all of those states.

Given the remit of the promotional tour, it’s almost certain to head to Auckland in New Zealand on the last leg of its tour.

Back in 2020, reports suggested that Australians had placed the third-highest number of $150 deposits for the Cybertruck globally, after the US and Canada, adding to anecdotal evidence there is significant demand for the high-tech truck among Aussie buyers.

Tesla is notoriously gun-shy about telegraphing its intentions but car-makers generally don’t conduct expensive promotional exercises like this unless they’re seriously considering the launch of a new vehicle.

However, if Tesla CEO Elon Musk signed off right-hand drive production and Australian exports of the Cybertruck today, local customers would be unlikely to receive their vehicle for several year because the Texas-built truck is sold out in the US until 2025.

In North America, the Tesla Cybertruck is priced from around $US80,000 ($A121,000) for the dual-motor 441kW model – the same vehicle being spruiked in Australia now.

Tesla says it can tow just under 5000kg, hit 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and deliver a 547km cruising range.

However, a cheaper $US60,000 ($A91,000) rear-drive variant with a 235kW single electric motor will be made available to North American buyers from 2025.

There’s also a circa-$US100,000 ($A152,000) ‘Beast’ version of the Tesla Cybertruck, powered by a triple e-motor powertrain that belts out a staggering 630kW and rips to 100km/h in a claimed 2.7sec.

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