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After years of speculation, Tesla has confirmed the Cybertruck is being considered for Australian showrooms – with only moderate modifications – but it is far from a guarantee.
Electric Cars
The Tesla Cybertruck electric pick-up could be sold in Australia after all – factory-built in right-hand drive – following years of speculation to the contrary.
And it would be in a form similar to the stainless steel-bodied, sharp-edged version of the Cybertruck sold in the US – not a smaller, watered-down model built for export markets – Tesla has indicated.
But it is far from over the line, and would require a right-hand-drive model to be engineered exclusively for Australia, made in a factory in Texas that until now has only built left-hand-drive cars.
"We are working pretty hard to get [Cybertruck] in right-hand drive," Tesla Australia country director Thom Drew told Drive at the Everything Electric expo in Sydney last week.
"Obviously not confirmed just yet, but we're working on it."
Asked how negotiations with head office have progressed in the past 18 months, Drew said: "It's still a discussion. Certainly, it's a segment that... utes in general are super popular here.
"Yes, this is a class above in size and all that, but there really isn't anything like it that I see in the market or coming soon, so we think there's a really strong case.
"It is in our sights, and we're talking with the engineering team about the feasibility of building it in right-hand drive.
"In all honesty, it would only be for our market, so there is that challenge to consider, but we're working very hard."
Multiple company sources told Drive in late 2023 – around the time of the first US deliveries – there were no plans at that time to retool the Cybertruck's Austin, Texas factory for right-hand drive production.
While there was nothing stopping Tesla from changing its mind, it appeared a right-hand-drive Cybertruck was on the backburner.
Prospective local customers were allowed to place a $150 refundable pre-order on a Cybertruck between November 2019 and late 2021, with no firm promise of Australian deliveries.
In the years since, Australians still in the queue for a Cybertruck have been offered $1500 off other models in the Tesla range, though not at the expense of their spot in line for the pick-up.
The case against the Tesla Cybertruck for Australia – both by car-industry analysts and 'armchair experts' on social media – has focused on its bluff shape that may not meet local pedestrian protection rules.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has added fuel to the fire, telling company shareholders last year developing the Cybertruck to meet "all international requirements" would "make the product, frankly, worse".
He said the company would need to make a "special version that is, for example, China-compliant or Europe-compliant," the latter inferred to affect Australia given many local motor-vehicle rules are derived from European standards.
However, asked if there are any specific regulations stopping the Cybertruck from being sold locally, or if it would be a case of developing a right-hand-drive version and adding it to showrooms, Drew said: "[Right-hand drive] and a few other ADR requirements.
"But in general what you see here is what we would [sell] in Australia."
Drew added: "I think what you've heard, and I've certainly seen myself, is it's not suitable for other markets [other than North America]. Australia's rules are slightly different and it actually is a [feasible] vehicle."
It is inferred changes to the Cybertruck would focus on modifications such as Australia-compliant lighting units, rather than a re-engineering of the vehicle.
The Tesla Australia executives confirmed an Australian Cybertruck would come from the same Austin, Texas factory as left-hand-drive models.
It would lend it a significant price advantage, and could even see it reach price parity with rival petrol-powered US pick-ups in Australia that are converted to right-hand drive locally.
In the US, the Tesla Cybertruck is priced from $US79,990 ($AU127,900), 68 per cent dearer than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD sedan, which is listed for $US47,490 ($AU75,300) there or $64,900 plus on-road costs here.
Applying that price difference could see a Cybertruck start from about $115,000 in Australia, after Luxury Car Tax.
Even an RRP closer to $150,000 – accounting for shipping costs, a poor US-Australia exchange rate, and a healthier profit margin to help recoup the right-hand-drive investment – is in line with a Ford F-150 Lariat V6 ($139,950).
Australia has a Free Trade Agreement with the US, as it does with China, where the Model 3 is made for local showrooms – rather than California like the US version.
President Trump has also announced plans for tariffs on steel and aluminium imported from all other countries, including Australia – and Finland, reportedly where the steel used for the Cybertruck's panels is sourced.
"I think it's fair to say that Tesla will always meet the requirements of the local market in terms of ADRs, in terms of our legal requirement on applications as a car manufacturer," Kevin Goult, Tesla Australia and New Zealand senior marketing manager, told Drive.
"It's just important that of course is followed, and we've got some clever engineers doing some very clever things."
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
