Tesla Cybertruck Auctioned For $400,000, Amplifying Buzz For Highly Anticipated EV

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk speaks in front of the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla's Cybertruck with shattered windows, after a failed resistance test, at Tesla Design Center. Cybertruck, which has yet to be launched officially, has reportedly fetched $400,000 at an auction. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES.
Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk speaks in front of the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla's Cybertruck with shattered windows, after a failed resistance test, at Tesla Design Center. Cybertruck, which has yet to be launched officially, has reportedly fetched $400,000 at an auction. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES.


By Shanthi Rexaline

Tesla, Inc.  Cybertruck, which has yet to be launched officially, has reportedly fetched $400,000 at an auction, underscoring the rising interest in the much anticipated electric pickup truck.

The low VIN Tesla Cybertruck that was on auction at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles late Saturday sold for $400,000, video clips of the auction shared by multiple Tesla influencers showed.

Television host Jay Leno, who is also a Tesla fan, hosted the auction. The official event website and Petersen Museum’s social media channels have yet to make an announcement concerning the results of the Cybertruck auction.

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Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk speaks in front of the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla’s Cybertruck with shattered windows, after a failed resistance test, at Tesla Design Center. Cybertruck, which has yet to be launched officially, has reportedly fetched $400,000 at an auction. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES.

“Been driving latest Cybertruck prototype around Giga, Texas,”  said Musk in a tweet  on January 26, 2022. “It’s awesome!”

“You need something new to reinvigorate the story. Whether that’s the humanoid robot, the Tesla Semi, the Cybertruck, Full Self-Driving, all of those are fair game in the eyes of the Tesla PR machine to keep the narrative going about continued growth,” said Jeffrey Osborne, a managing director and senior research analyst who covers Tesla at the financial services firm Cowen. “The logical  one of all of those is the Cybertruck.”

GettyImages-1183832732.jpg
Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk speaks in front of the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla’s Cybertruck with shattered windows, after a failed resistance test, at Tesla Design Center. Cybertruck, which has yet to be launched officially, has reportedly fetched $400,000 at an auction. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES.

The Cybertruck has been the widely awaited EV of the year, and the company is scheduled to release the electric pickup truck in late 2023. CEO Elon Musk first made an announcement concerning the Cybertruck in November 2019, and the truck’s launch has seen an inordinate delay since then.

With the launch finally approaching, the excitement has been building, and Tesla fans have reported Cybertruck sightings on social media channels.

Future Fund’s Gary Black is among the analysts who are optimistic about the Cybertuck, expecting it to produce a halo effect and stimulating sales of other Tesla EVs once the truck launches. He expects Tesla to launch three variants of the Cybertruck, with the base and top trims priced at $49,900 and $79,900, respectively. The company has yet to confirm the details.

The Cybertruck at the auction fetched over eight times Black’s estimated price of the base trim.

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