Until recently, a glance at Tesla’s official page for the Cybertruck looked like Elon Musk’s vision board. There were images of the stainless steel EV truck kicking up red dirt on an apparently Martian landscape. That, and a view of the Cybertruck pulling a rocket engine. You know, the things you expect from your trusty pickup. Now, however, Tesla is rebranding the Cybertruck to reach the F-150 and Silverado faithful. 

Tesla is marketing the Cybertruck as less of a disruptive, Mars-bound EV and more of a utilitarian truck

Tesla is flipping the script in an attempt to market the angular truck in a different light. In place of Martian dust clouds, the site shows smiling campers taking the Cybertruck off-road. It shows a family building a structure in the wilderness. And it shows a driver using the optional crossbars for a snowboard and skis.

According to Business Insider, it’s all part of a concerted effort by Tesla to present the Cybertruck as “less DeLorean, more Ford F-150.” However, it’s a bit of a tall order. An unnamed Tesla salesperson told Business Insider that marketing the Cybertruck to “truck people” might require more than a rugged rebrand. “Pitching it to truck people is more about the functionality,” the salesperson said, highlighting some of the ruggedness criticisms naysayers have had in the past. 

The move couldn’t come at a better time. Tesla’s resident conversation-starter in the lineup has suffered from underwhelming sales since its first deliveries in 2023. By the end of the first quarter, Tesla had sold an estimated 6,400 Cybertrucks. Not a banner start to 2025.

As a result, the US and Canadian-market Cybertrucks got discounts of up to $12,000 in the hopes of moving more of the truck’s Foundation Series. To further increase the appeal of the Cybertruck, Tesla is planning a cheaper, less-frill-laden version. Instead of a dual-motor, AWD application, the cheaper Cybertruck will be a single-motor, RWD platform.

In addition to shedding a front motor, the RWD Cybertruck Long Range will lose its powered tonneau cover, bed outlets, and adaptive suspension. The bottom line? Tesla is targeting a $69,990 starting point for the RWD model. With a $7,500 federal tax incentive, Tesla feels comfortable slapping a “$62,490” next to the Long Range in the configurator. Only time will tell if the new Cybertruck will appeal to buyers who couldn’t stomach the dual-motor model’s $79,990 ask.