A little surprising to have it on our shores it may be, but alas its real – the Tesla Cybertruck has just been previewed in Malaysia. We are its second ASEAN stop, following its initial session over in Thailand.
A little surprising to have it on our shores it may be, but alas its real – the Tesla Cybertruck has just been previewed in Malaysia. We are its second ASEAN stop, following its initial session over in Thailand.
This isn't local specifications, as the model in this sneak peek is still left-hand drive (LHD), imported straight from the Austin, Texas Gigafactory. The variant you see here is the dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) version; the single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) is not out for sale anywhere yet.
Still, there's plenty of power going on under there, namely the 608 PS and a comical 10,080 Nm of torque, juiced by a 123 kWh lithium-ion battery. Range is a quoted 547 km, though that can go up to 755 km or so with the optional range extender, but that's not fitted to this particular unit.
Pretty smart tech to complement it all too – it's the first production car to utilise a 48V architecture, and it uses a Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) network within to control things like sensors and lights, reducing the need for wires by 68% compared to a regular car.
Charging comes via an 800V system that goes up to 250 kW on a DC fast charger, good enough to recover 219 km of range in just 15 minutes.
Above all this is the Cybertruck's 'exoskeleton', a body made out of a blend of different metals to create something Tesla calls 'Hard Freaking Stainless', that's said to repel bullets and arrows (within limits, of course) while being tough and corrosion-resistant. Rather important given that it's not painted.
Inside, the Cybertruck is typical Tesla minimalism, with the main highlight being the huge 18.5-inch static touchscreen by the centre stack to access all vehicle functions and information. It seats 5, and for those at the back there's a 9.4-inch touchscreen too.
Features include a 15-speaker setup with 2 dedicated subwoofer, a HEPA filter, and 65W USB-C chargers, 240 V outlets, and wireless phone chargers.
The Cybertruck as previewed in Malaysia is a limited-run, early-access Foundation Series model, so there's a few things it gets over the standard, wait-your-turn Cybertruck. For example, this comes with accesories like all-weather interior liners, a centre console tray, glass roof sunshade, and Full-Self Driving (FSD). And badges, of course.
American customers get a charging plan bundled into the mix, and perhaps most importantly, a hastened delivery schedule.
Anyway, the Tesla Cybertruck's won't be going on sale in Malaysia anytime soon, though the car will begin its nationwide tour where interested parties can take a peek at it in showrooms near them; details in due time. For now, we have the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y readily available, prices as below:
Also read: Review: Officially imported Tesla Model Y RWD in Malaysia, shaking up the RM 200k segment
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