- Jay Leno gushed about his Tesla Cybertruck test drive.
- With a base price below $40,000, you don’t need to be Jay Leno to afford the new electric truck.
- Could this be what Elon Musk needs to reach the “real world”?
Elon Musk is a cult hero, at least among a very particular demographic.
There is no shortage of Musk fanbois online to hail the billionaire as nothing short of the second (or first, depending on your belief system) coming.
Ultimately, though, his pie-in-the-sky aspirations — from his SpaceX mission to his strange baby name ideas — don’t translate into the real world.
What non-billionaire can hope to afford a rocket ride into space, especially after a global pandemic decimated the world’s economy?
That’s why the Tesla Cybertruck is such a big deal.
Tesla Cybertruck Earns Jay Leno Accolades, at a Blue-Collar Price
On a recent episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage” on CNBC, the former late-night talk-show host and car enthusiast took Elon Musk and went for a test drive of the 2021 Tesla Cybertruck.
According to Leno, riding in the truck was nothing short of a religious experience. He said that the “greenhouse” — a reference to the truck’s aesthetic — was “fabulous” and “open.” And, as with all Teslas, acceleration went from 0 to 60 in a record 2.9 seconds.
Elon Musk said that he chose to design the truck this way in response to car companies whose “show car” was nowhere near the actual production car.
It always drove me crazy when manufacturers would come out with this cool-looking show car and then the actual production car would be way worse. We won’t do show cars that aren’t real.
But, what’s most attractive about the Tesla Cybertruck is the price. With a base price of $39,900, it’s on par with some of the mid-level trucks of the same caliber. Considering Tesla is normally associated with luxury, this is a huge step forward.
Can Elon Musk Finally Connect with Everyday America?
Elon Musk is more than a little controversial, and his shtick has never quite hit the right notes outside of Silicon Valley. After all, who truly expects a South African billionaire to be “in touch” with the needs of the average blue-collar American worker?
But whether he meant to or not, Musk may have finally found a way to connect with the blue-collar workers who don’t populate Tech Bro Twitter. He has a genuine opportunity to become the national hero his fanbois already say he is.
The only question is: Is that something the “cult of Tesla” really wants?
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
This article was edited by Josiah Wilmoth.
