When Tesla unveiled its Cybertruck in 2019, all eyes were on what was promised to be a futuristic game-changer in the electric vehicle market. But what stole the spotlight wasn’t just the truck’s angular design or promises of bulletproof durability, it was the moment Tesla’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, shattered not one, but two of its so-called “armor glass” windows live on stage.
At the 2019 Cybertruck reveal, Franz von Holzhausen famously hurled steel balls at the vehicle’s windows in an attempt to demonstrate their resilience. To everyone’s surprise, including Elon Musk’s, the glass cracked instantly. Tesla’s stock took a 5% hit the following day, and Musk was left to present the rest of the event in front of a visibly damaged prototype.
However, von Holzhausen, in a recent interview with Tesla Club Austria, painted the incident in a different light. “It was just one of those Murphy’s Law kind of things where something bad happens, but it turned out to be a great meme,” he said, referring to the adage that anything that can go wrong, will. “And I think in an odd sort of way we don’t do marketing but it turned into a great marketing moment.”
Indeed, the internet had a field day. Memes flooded social media, Tesla began selling $45 T-shirts celebrating the broken window, and Musk posted a video on X showing a test where the glass actually did survive a steel ball hit an apparent “proof” that the failure during the live demo was an outlier. Within days, Musk claimed Tesla had received more than 200,000 Cybertruck orders, riding the viral wave to boost the truck’s visibility.
But hype, it turns out, doesn’t guarantee longevity.
Originally slated to launch in 2021 with a starting price of $39,900, the Cybertruck finally made it to market in late 2023, and not without major compromises. The price had jumped significantly to $60,990, and more critically, the vehicle arrived riddled with problems. Earlier this year, Tesla issued a recall of all 46,100 Cybertrucks delivered due to a panel defect, while additional recalls targeted issues like a faulty tire pressure monitoring system.
Even more troubling were safety concerns stemming from several fatal crashes, including one that led to a wrongful death lawsuit. The suit alleged that defective safety systems contributed to the fiery death of a man in Houston. As public confidence waned, Tesla found itself not only battling recalls but also struggling with declining demand.
Despite Musk’s earlier confidence, the Cybertruck has rapidly fallen out of favor with consumers. In the most recent quarter, Cybertruck sales dropped by 51% year over year, totaling just 4,300 vehicles sold, according to a report by Cox Automotive. The electric pickup is now being overshadowed by rivals like the Ford F-150 Lightning and GMC Hummer EV, both of which are gaining ground in a fiercely competitive EV market.
“Suffice it to say, the hyper-competitive EV market is providing the troubled automaker no relief,” Cox’s report noted grimly.
