Tesla is “quite likely” to make a truck, according to company founder and CEO Elon Musk.
Tesla will make plenty of headlines in 2016 as it launches the Model 3. This will be the first launch from the luxury electric car company that falls within range of the average buyer’s budget.
The next step on Tesla’s mass-market drive could well be towards the utilitarian. During a recent interview in Hong Kong, Musk brought up the possibility of a Tesla truck.
“I think it is quite likely we will do a truck in the future,” he said. “I think it’s sort of a logical thing for us to do in the future.”
This might sound like a strange niche to enter for a brand that has worked hard to engender a sense of class and exclusivity, and is now looking to branch out into the mass market.
But as BGR points out, in Tesla’s home market of the US, the three best-selling vehicles in America in 2014 and 2015 were pickup trucks.
Related: Faraday Future: A true Tesla rival?
Musk also had something to say on the aforementioned Model 3, which is set to be unveiled in March.
“I do feel pretty optimistic about the Model 3,” Musk said. “The key thing with the Model 3 is higher volume and lower price. It is a smaller car and without quite as many bells and whistles as the Model S or X. But the goal is to have a very compelling, affordable and mass market electric vehicle, and I feel pretty good about that goal.”
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.