Skip to main content

Famed automotive designer Frank Stephenson has been biting his tongue when it comes to the Tesla Cybertruck. Now, a year after Elon Musk took the stage to unveil its unusual-looking truck, Stephenson is ready to tell the world how he feels about this electric pickup. Unfortunately for Tesla, he’s not all that impressed with it.

Tesla Cybertruck driving out of the bright light
Tesla Cybertruck | Tesla

Who is Frank Stephenson?

Frank Stephenson is a famed automotive designer. He’s designed vehicles for plenty of high-end automakers, McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, Mini, Fiat, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo included. Stephenson has earned some pretty impressive awards for his design work too, and was even named by MotorTrend as “one of the most influential car designers working in the industry.” Most recently, Stephenson took to his personal YouTube channel to highlight all that’s wrong with the Tesla Cybertruck. Unfortunately for Tesla, it’s kind of a lot. 

What Frank Stephenson had to say about the Tesla Cybertruck

Stephenson is not a fan of the Tesla Cybertruck, something that he makes abundantly clear in his review. When it comes to the Tesla Cybertruck’s exterior, Stephenson is quick to point out that he’s not convinced it will age well. In fact, he compared the Cybertruck’s exterior to the pixelated graphics of the original Playstation. And while that comparison might sound outlandish, it’s actually not that off base. The exterior of the Tesla Cybertruck is comical, and while it was supposed to look futuristic, Stephenson is right. It’s chunky and odd-looking from every angle.

The interior of the Tesla Cybertruck also left Stephenson less than impressed. He called it both cold and “anti-environmentalist.” This might seem counterintuitive for an electric-powered truck, but Stephenson isn’t that off-base. He goes on to compare the interior to that of the Mars Rover, explaining that it looks more like it’s meant to protect you from an “externally hospitable environment.” All in all, Stephenson says, the interior of the Tesla Cybertruck is just uninviting.

What could Tesla have done better? Well, according to Stephenson, the Cybertruck would have benefited from styling similar to that of the Citroen’s 1980 Karin concept car and the 2020 Buick Electra concept car. While both vehicles boast a similar pyramidical structure, the angles used are much more subtle than those seen in the Cybertruck.

Will the Tesla Cybertruck benefit from its upcoming redesign?

Fortunately for the Tesla Cybertruck, its questionable look might not be around for much longer. Based on what Musk has to say, we could see a redesigned Cybertruck within the next few weeks. And, according to Musk, that redesign will include a number of important changes. 

Torque News reports that these changes could include improved visibility out of the truck, and lowering the window sill and center line. Other changes might include adding on side-view mirrors and windshield wipers. According to Torque News, the Cybertruck’s rectangular steering wheel might also be replaced before the truck goes into full production. It sounds like the Cybertruck is going to be much smaller than the version Musk originally unveiled too.

When will the Tesla Cybertruck be released?

Unfortunately, we don’t have an exact date for when the Tesla Cybertruck will be released. That being said, Tesla is currently allowing customers to pre-order the truck before it goes into production sometime next year. 

Related

First the Bronco Warthog, Now the Tesla Wolverine?