A prototype of the highly-awaited Tesla Cybertruck has just landed in New Zealand by plane, as spotted by a member of the online community Cybertruck Owners Club on Sunday.
“Cybertruck being offloaded at New Zealand airport for winter testing.
Test location will be the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds – https://www.shpg.co.nz/“
ModelAZ, Cybertruck Owners Club member
It is interesting to note that the Cybertruck’s arrival in the “land of the long white cloud” will most likely mark the electric truck’s final winter testing before its market launch.
Cybertruck progresses toward production
In hindsight, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the Cybertruck production would start this summer 2023, with plans to begin mass production in 2024. It must be noted that before reaching this latest timeline, the automaker’s plan for the Cybertruck production has been delayed multiple times.
Despite that, the Cybertruck still has a high “intent to buy” rating from the Tesla Cybertruck reservation holders, per Recurrent Auto’s survey. It is worth noting that the e-truck currently has approximately 1.5 million reservation holders who have been anticipating the first deliveries of the vehicle.
Finally, the Cybertruck production seems to be actually happening soon, relieving the reservation holders’ long wait.
Cybertruck to undergo final winter testing
The spy footage shared on the Cybertruck Owners Club features a vehicle covered by a large gray material. Nonetheless, it is very easy to determine that the vehicle under that cover is the famous Cybertruck.
In addition, the Cybertruck’s sudden presence in NZ is not particularly unusual, given that Tesla has already used the country’s proving grounds for winter testing before.
Notably, the American EV giant mostly conducts winter testing on its own proving grounds in Alaska. However, it shifts to the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds in New Zealand during summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
See Also:
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- Tesla Cybertruck to get 1 MW ultra-fast charging technology
In retrospect, Tesla has already winter tested the Cybertruck in Alaska. Now, it seems that the electric truck is now set to have its final testing before hitting production.
These tests are crucial considering that the Cybertruck is anticipated to function well in harsh snow and icy settings, considering the vehicle’s up to 4 motors powering an AWD system and rear-steering.
