November 21st, Tesla unveiled his new proposal for electric mobility. The Cybertruck, a sci-fi style pickup based on poly surfaces. Its particular name already give us a sign of what Tesla wanted to create, not the “CommonTruck”. On that moment social networks exploded and began to show an insane quantity of comments about the vehicle. For instance, humor quotes such as, “This is the result when the intern release the 3D model” or “When real-life is pixelated”. But it’s curious how in terms of design we feel free to give our opinion just focusing on how beautiful it’s something, and it’s legit. But design it’s not only the result of how the designer represents beauty.
You can like it more or less, but it is a good design. We can take a look at the pickup from different perspectives in order to argue why the Cybertruck it’s a good design. Form follows function, where the Cx is one of the lowest for pickups segment, crucial for EVs. Love it or not, from a marketing’s point of view the Cybertruck is a “candy for children”. But we are going to focus on one of the principles of Dieter Rams, “Good design is long lasting“. This concept avoids into fashionable trends and therefore the product never appears antiquated.
The character lines of the Cybertruck remember the 70s car concepts, sketched by most known designers as Giugiaro with the Maserati Boomerang or the Lamborghini Bravo by Bertone. Their vision was to look forward from those years, a different view. Those years when the design was related somehow with the feeling of the engine when it revs. Maybe Tesla share same vision, beyond the common, but related to a new era. A new era based on digitalisation, built on cybernetic insights. Either way, the Cybertruck can be seen right from the 70s as a tentative way about the future. Or seen just from our days and beyond.
