It didn't come as a surprise when the Tesla Cybertruck was delayed until 2022. The news broke when Tesla quietly updated the online configurator, confirming that production of the Cybertruck is being pushed back from late 2021 to 2022. While we know that Tesla is prioritizing production of the Model Y and has faced challenges caused by the semiconductor computer chip shortage, there is another factor that caused the delay.

Tesla still hasn't revealed the final design of the Cybertruck, nearly two years after the prototype was shown to the public. A Tweet by Tesla insider Sawyer Merritt suggests the design of the Cybertruck has only just only finalized very recently.

"This won't be much of a surprise but I've been told designs were just recently finalized for Cybertruck," Merritt wrote on Twitter. According to Merritt, Tesla said that the "Cybertruck is at a stage where we finished basic engineering of the architecture; we're moving into the beta phases later this year". During Tesla's Q2 earnings call, Elon Musk has also hinted that the prototype's polarizing design will undergo some changes for the production model.

While the wedge shape will be retained, the dimensions of the production version will be slightly smaller. Speaking with the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in 2019, Elon Musk said the original design shown on the prototype is "pretty much what it will look like" but the final production model will be "around 3% smaller."

Construction of the Texas Gigafactory where the Cybertruck will be built is also still ongoing, so the chances of the Cybertruck starting production this year were already looking slim. With the design now reportedly finalized, we're hopeful that Tesla will reveal what the production version looks like this year.

Even though the final design remains a mystery and the prototype's design has been polarizing, Tesla has already racked up over one million reservations for the Cybertruck. Tesla will have a lot of catching up to do, however, as deliveries for the rival Rivian R1T electric truck are starting next month. Production of the Ford F-150 Lightning is also expected to start in the spring.