At least two Tesla Cybertrucks have landed in China, just a few days after Elon Musk suggested that they could send some overseas to be put on display.
Earlier this month Musk shared on X (formerly Twitter) that it would be “very difficult” to get the Cybertruck certified as road legal in China, all but ending the hopes of those that had placed a reservation for the electric pickup truck before Tesla stopped taking them in 2022.
While Musk cast serious doubt on whether the Cybertruck would ever make it to China, he did suggest that some prototypes could be sent over to be put on display in the country. That comment was on January 13, and less than a week later Musk has followed through on his word.
On Sunday at least two Cybertrucks were spotted arriving in China, according to photos shared by @thinkercar on X. Although the trucks are covered up, their unmistakable shape leaves little doubt as to what is underneath.
Interestingly, drone pilot Joe Tegtmeyer actually captured these two trucks being prepped for transport at Giga Texas on January 18.
Here are these Cybertrucks being packaged up on 18 January 2024 at Giga Texas! @greggertruck @SERobinsonJr pic.twitter.com/WbOWsD983T
— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) January 21, 2024
Now that the Cybertrucks have arrived in China, they will be put on display, but not even Tesla knows where just yet. After Musk suggested the displays last week, the company announced on its WeChat account that Cybertruck will be going on a national tour of China, but that people would be able to vote on where they should be sent. According to a poster, voting will close on March 31, giving people plenty of time to vote.
Pickup trucks are classified as light trucks and are subject to different restrictions compared to conventional passenger cars. One example is that on Chinese highways, pickup trucks are required to drive in the rightmost slow lane and have a speed limit of 100km/h (62mph), as opposed to the 120km/h (74mph) limit for regular passenger cars. Additionally, regulations stipulate they must be used for no more than 15 years, with mandatory annual inspections by transport authorities for the first 10 years, followed by biennial inspections from years 10 to 15.
