Sandy Munro says the Tesla Cybertruck’s unorthodox design makes it cheap to manufacture
Sandy Munro, the auto manufacturing expert who delivered some detailed insights about Tesla’s manufacturing strengths and weaknesses after tearing down a Tesla Model 3, recently made some comments about the upcoming Cybertruck.
Of course, Munro hasn’t gotten his hands on an actual Cybertruck (as far as we know, Jay Leno is the first non-employee to have that honor). However, based on the few details Tesla has publicly revealed about the electric pickup truck, he believes it could be “incredibly cheap” to produce.
Speaking on Autoline After Hours, Munro compared the Cybertruck to Judge Dredd’s Dredd-Mobile, a rugged vehicle designed to survive on the mean streets of a post-apocalyptic city.
The truck’s simple body design and lack of paint should make
it vastly cheaper to build than a traditional truck. Munro estimates that Tesla
could produce 50,000 Cybertrucks per year for a capital investment of $30
million, which, as one of the show’s moderators interjects, is “nothing” in
comparison to the kind of money a legacy automaker would typically invest in a
new vehicle. Munro offers the example of the Ford F-150, which he estimates would
require $210 million ($150 million for the paint shop alone) to tool up for
production of 50,000 per year.
Does Munro know whereof he speaks? Elon Musk seems to think so. “Munro’s analysis of Tesla engineering is accurate, both pro & con. I think he will appreciate some elements of the Model Y body design,” the Tesla CEO recently tweeted.
Munro’s analysis of Tesla engineering is accurate, both pro & con. I think he will appreciate some elements of the Model Y body design.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 17, 2021
Source: Electrek
