Tesla plotting baby Cybertruck for export markets

Tesla is secretly working to develop a smaller mini-Cybertruck battery-electric ute tailored for export markets that’s set to feature a less radical design capable of passing Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and European pedestrian impact tests.

According to Tesla’s head of engineering, Lars Moravy, a smaller truck could bring the US firm the sales volume missing from the current Cybertruck as it would bring the wild pick-up’s distinctive design to a broader audience.

“We always talked about making a smaller pick-up”, Moravy told Tesla owners, investors and journos from Business Insider at an event in California.

Admitting that in current form, the Cybertruck was simply too big for some markets, the carmaker’s VP for engineering went on to hint that even in a world of autonomous vehicles there will be a place for utes, or vans.

“I think in the future, as more and more robotaxis come into the world, we look at those options [utes] and we think about, OK, that kind of service is useful not just for people, but also for goods,” said Moravy.

Speaking about a smaller take on the Cybertruck, the senior exec told those assembled: “We’ve definitely been churning in the design studio about what we might do to serve that need for sure.”

Tesla has had tough first half of 2025 when it comes to sales of its most controversial model, with the US brand shifting just 10,712 Cybertrucks in the first six months of this year, with Q2 sales down a substantial 50.8 per cent alone.

Preventing the brand from selling it in Europe, the Cybertruck was judged not only too big, but too heavy for some markets, while its sharp edges meant it would have needed a significant redesign for it to pass pedestrian impact tests.

Locally it’s been reported that Tesla Australia is seriously considering bringing a right-hand drive converted Cybertruck Down Under, with the brand’s local outfit already briefed on the design tweaks needed to meet ADRs.

In the US the Tesla Cybertruck is priced from around $US80,000 ($A123,000), although post right-hand-drive conversion we expect it to cost at least $140,000, matching the cost of full-size petrol-powered utes already on sale in Australia.

For that, you get a truck that’s roughly the same size as a Ford F-150. The 3.1-tonne Cybertruck measures in at 5682mm long, 2201mm wide and 1791mm tall, although it does feature a very respectable 1134kg payload and claimed towing capability of almost 5000kg, plus a range of up to 547km.

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