Ever since Tesla revealed its Cybertruck a couple of days ago, social media has been abuzz with opinions about its insane, wedge-shaped lines and Elon Musk's controversial claims about thousands of pre-orders. Another spicy subplot emerged when Musk posted a tweet of the Cybertruck engaged in an actual tug-of-war with America's beloved Ford F-150. Naturally, the Cybertruck came out on top, but many - including astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson - were quick to point out the flaws in Tesla's dramatic stunt.
Basically, a rear-wheel-drive F-150 with no load on the back was never going to out-pull a heavy EV truck. Following the video, Ford X's VP Sunny Madra challenged Musk to send over a Cybertruck for a fairer match-up. Musk obliged, but according to Ford Authority, the challenge was simply "tongue in cheek".
If Ford expected Musk not to take them seriously, they should've thought again. This is a CEO - and a company - that never shies away from a challenge and making headlines, for better or worse. A Ford spokesperson said: "Sunny's tweet was tongue in cheek… nothing more. With America's bestselling truck for 42 years, we've always focused on serving our truck customers regardless of what others say or do. We look forward to our all-new F-150 hybrid coming next year and all-electric F-150 in a few years."
It's a rather meek retort and responses to Madra's tweet - along with weigh-in from the bookmakers - seem to favor the Cybertruck if a rematch ever came about. Musk is just as confident, saying that even if both trucks were loaded to the max, electric will still win.
Having already conquered some of Porsche and BMW's best sports sedans off the line with its sedans, we're certain that the Cybertruck will set new records in the truck segment when official tests begin - a 0-60 mph time of under three seconds has already been claimed for the range-topper. Whether the general public will truly embrace such a wild design is another question - where a Model S or Model 3 at least look somewhat like the luxury cars they compete with, the Cybertruck isn't particularly attractive nor traditionally rugged. Plain weird is a better description.
Still, traditional truck specialists like Ford should tread warily and not rest on their laurels. Tesla has proven us wrong before, and the nutty Cybertruck might just do it again.