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Tesla’s unique strategy regarding crucial Cybertruck details is the best ad there is
Tesla has had a unique strategy with the all-electric Cybertruck since it was first unveiled four years ago in Los Angeles. It might be the best advertisement there is.
For the past few years, Tesla has not tipped its hand with certain details regarding the pickup, and some might argue they are the most crucial parts of a vehicle’s buildup, especially for an EV: price, trim levels, and range.
It is an ongoing strategy that has been keeping the Cybertruck in the public discussion of the entire automotive sector for the last few years as the prices have gone from $39,990, $49,990, and $69,990, to whatever your best guess is.
A company that has been headstrong against the prospect of advertising, Tesla knows how to stimulate consumer discussion around itself. After all, its CEO Elon Musk also owns X, which less than a year ago was known as Twitter. Musk is no stranger to being in a headline, and he knows how to get people talking. Perhaps a genius in advertising, too, the CEO has everyone buzzing about what the Cybertruck will cost and how long it will go on a single charge.
Credit: Tesla Inc.
But this might be exactly the buzz Tesla and Musk want, even if it is keeping the most loyal fans in the dark about the particulars of what is its most unique vehicle yet. Even those who are not EV enthusiasts and have no interest in the Cybertruck want to know what a stainless steel-covered pickup will cost and what its capabilities are.
Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads and millions more on an general advertising budget, there is the advantage of curiosity that Tesla has shamelessly adopted and used to its advantage, all leading up to this Thursday. It is no secret that pricing is likely going to be different than what it was in 2019. Too much has changed from a macroeconomic perspective.
But the jury is still deliberating on what this strategy entails. Has it worked on creating buzz? Obviously. Is it fair to the consumer? Not necessarily.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils futuristic Cybertruck in Los Angeles, Nov. 21, 2019 (Photo: Teslarati)
There are no products that come to mind for me when I think of an imminent launch and lack of details in terms of pricing and capabilities. Imagine if Apple reworked the iPhone and decided to keep the price a secret, at least until hundreds of people lined up outside of their stores and showed up to buy it, only guessing what their credit card bill would be the following month.
With a car, it’s obviously different. It’s a long-term payment structure because the truck is going to cost tens of thousands, much more than an iPhone. Even still, this argument can be used to support the counterargument: if people are going to spend this much on a vehicle, isn’t there a reason for them to have an idea of how much they will pay?
This leads to several ideas about the delivery event this Thursday in Austin. As the Cybertruck’s Certificate of Conformity, Certificate Information, and Application have yet to be published by the EPA, it is interesting to think about who exactly will be taking delivery of the Cybertruck this week. It might be influencers who were sworn to secrecy by an NDA, it could be employees, and of course, it could be regular people who just happened to place a reservation very early, perhaps just moments after the configurator was launched.
Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X
Whoever does get their hands on an early Cybertruck build will be lucky, as rumors of between 10 and 30 units being delivered on Thursday have both circulated. There are at least a million orders for the Cybertruck, Musk said on the most recent Earnings Call.
No matter what happens, the Cybertruck has been an advertisement in itself, and it has concentrated the entire automotive industry’s attention this week. All eyes are on Tesla and the Cybertruck, as a vehicle four years in the making is finally here, and it is perhaps the best advertisement the automaker could have ever had for itself.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with tips! Email us at tips@teslarati.com, or you can email me directly at joey@teslarati.com.
Tesla Full Self-Driving is getting an outrageous insurance offer with insanely cheap rates that will slash the cost of coverage by 50 percent.
Lemonade, a digital insurance company, has launched its first-of-a-kind product known as Lemonade Autonomous Car Insurance, and it is starting with an exclusive offer to FSD. The new offer will cut rates for FSD-engaged driving by “approximately 50 percent,” highlighting the data that shows a significantly safer driving environment when the suite is activated and engaged.
The company also said it plans to introduce even cheaper rates as Tesla continues to release more advanced FSD versions through software updates. Tesla has been releasing new FSD versions every few weeks, highlighting vast improvements for those who have the latest AI4 chip.
The announcement comes just a few months afterLemonade Co-Founder and President Shai Wininger said that he wanted to insure FSD vehicles for “almost free.” He said that Tesla’s API complemented Lemonade’s AI-based platform because it provides “richer and more accurate driving behavior data than traditional UBI devices.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving gets an offer to be insured for ‘almost free’
In mid-December, Lemonade then offered Tesla owners in California, Oregon, and Arizona the opportunity to connect their vehicles directly to the company’s app, which would provide a direct connection and would require a separate telematics device, which is required with other insurance providers who offer rates based on driving behaviors.
This latest development between Lemonade and Tesla is something that Wininger believes will be different because of the advanced nature of FSD:
“Traditional insurers treat a Tesla like any other car, and AI like any other driver. But a car that sees 360 degrees, never gets drowsy, and reacts in milliseconds can’t be compared to a human.”
He went on to say that the existing pay-per-mile product has given the company something that no traditional insurer has been able to offer. This comes through Lemonade’s “unique tech stack designed to collect massive amounts of real driving data for precise, dynamic pricing.”
The reputation FSD has gathered over the past few years is really impressive. Wininger backed this with some more compliments:
“Teslas driven with FSD are involved in far fewer accidents. By connecting to the Tesla onboard computer, our models are able to ingest incredibly nuanced sensor data that lets us price our insurance with higher precision than ever before.”
The product will begin its official rollout in Arizona on January 26. Oregon will get it a month later.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
“I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny,” Musk said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolled budget airline Ryanair on his social media platform X this week following the company’s refusal to adopt Starlink internet on its planes.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Ryanair did not plan to install Starlink internet services on its planes due to its budgetary nature and short flight spans, which are commonly only an hour or so in total duration.
Initially, Musk said installing Starlink on the company’s planes would not impact cost or aerodynamics, but Ryanair responded on its X account, which is comical in nature, by stating that a propaganda it would not fall for was “Wi-Fi on planes.”
Musk responded by asking, “How much would it cost to buy you?” Then followed up with the idea of buying the company and replacing the CEO with someone named Ryan:
I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2026
Polymarket now states that there is an 8 percent chance that Musk will purchase Ryanair, which would cost Musk roughly $36 billion, based on recent financial data of the public company.
Although the banter has certainly crossed a line, it does not seem as if there is any true reason to believe Musk would purchase the airline. More than anything, it seems like an exercise of who will go further.
Starlink passes 9 million active customers just weeks after hitting 8 million
However, it is worth noting that if something is important enough, Musk will get involved. He bought Twitter a few years ago and then turned it into X, but that issue was much larger than simple banter with a company that does not want to utilize one of the CEO’s products.
The insufferable, special needs chimp currently running Ryan Air is an accountant. Has no idea how airplanes even fly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2026
In a poll posted yesterday by Musk, asking whether he should buy Ryanair and “restore Ryan as their rightful ruler.” 76.5 percent of respondents said he should, but others believe that the whole idea is just playful dialogue for now.
But it is not ideal to count Musk out, especially if things continue to move in the direction they have been.
News
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sends latest statement with big expansion
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sent its latest statement earlier this month by making a big expansion to its geofence, pushing the limits up by over 50 percent and nearing Tesla’s size.
Waymo announced earlier this month that it was expanding its geofence in Austin by slightly over 50 percent, now servicing an area of 140 square miles, over the previous 90 square miles that it has been operating in since July 2025.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shades Waymo: ‘Never really had a chance’
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
These rides are fully driverless, which sets them apart from Tesla slightly. Tesla operates its Robotaxi program in Austin with a Safety Monitor in the passenger’s seat on local roads and in the driver’s seat for highway routes.
It has also tested fully driverless Robotaxi services internally in recent weeks, hoping to remove Safety Monitors in the near future, after hoping to do so by the end of 2025.
Tesla Robotaxi service area vs. Waymo’s new expansion in Austin, TX. pic.twitter.com/7cnaeiduKY
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) January 13, 2026
Although Waymo’s geofence has expanded considerably, it still falls short of Tesla’s by roughly 31 square miles, as the company’s expansion back in late 2025 put it up to roughly 171 square miles.
There are several differences between the two operations apart from the size of the geofence and the fact that Waymo is able to operate autonomously.
Waymo emphasizes mature, fully autonomous operations in a denser but smaller area, while Tesla focuses on more extensive coverage and fleet scaling potential, especially with the potential release of Cybercab and a recently reached milestone of 200 Robotaxis in its fleet across Austin and the Bay Area.
However, the two companies are striving to achieve the same goal, which is expanding the availability of driverless ride-sharing options across the United States, starting with large cities like Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo also operates in other cities, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, and Atlanta, among others.
Tesla is working to expand to more cities as well, and is hoping to launch in Miami, Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Dallas.
Tesla Full Self-Driving gets outrageous insurance offer with insanely cheap rates
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
