The Cybertruck AWD Is Now 70000 Dollars: What Tesla Pricing Strategy Reveals | Taha Abbasi

It is official: the Tesla Cybertruck AWD trim that launched at $59,990 just ten days ago now costs $69,990. Taha Abbasi, who owns a Cybertruck and has driven it over thousands of FSD miles, breaks down what this pricing maneuver reveals about Tesla’s strategy, demand dynamics, and whether the $70,000 AWD is actually worth it despite the controversy surrounding its price increase.

The 10-Day Price Experiment

On February 19, Tesla launched the Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD at $59,990, making it the most affordable Cybertruck ever offered. Within hours, Elon Musk posted on X that the price would only last for 10 days. Delivery estimates quickly stretched from June to September to 2027, and Tesla pointed to the surging demand as evidence that the market wanted this trim. On March 1, the price officially jumped by $10,000 to $69,990, and the lease option was removed.

Critics, including Electrek’s Fred Lambert, called it one of the most cynical pricing strategies in automotive history: launch at an attractive price, create artificial urgency by announcing an imminent increase, then use the resulting demand surge to justify the higher price. Supporters counter that Tesla was simply testing the market and responding to demand signals. Taha Abbasi sees elements of truth in both perspectives, and the reality is likely that Tesla planned the price increase all along but used the initial low price to generate attention and secure a backlog of orders.

Is the $70,000 AWD Actually a Good Deal?

To evaluate the new price fairly, it is important to compare the $69,990 AWD against the previous $69,990 RWD trim that Tesla discontinued. The AWD offers dual motors, better acceleration, improved all-weather traction, and higher towing capacity for the same price as the old single-motor variant. It includes 325 miles of estimated range, adaptive damping, a powered tonneau cover, and Powershare V2X bidirectional charging capability. By objective measures, the $70,000 AWD is a substantially better vehicle than the $70,000 RWD it replaced.

The problem is anchoring. Consumers who saw the $59,990 price now perceive $69,990 as expensive, even though it is objectively the same price as the previous trim but with significantly more capability. This psychological dynamic is well documented in behavioral economics: once a lower reference price is established, any increase feels like a loss regardless of the absolute value proposition. Tesla’s pricing strategy succeeded in generating attention and orders but may have created brand perception damage that takes longer to repair.

What This Tells Us About Cybertruck Demand

The demand response to the $60,000 price point was genuinely strong, suggesting that price has been a primary barrier to broader Cybertruck adoption. At $60,000, the Cybertruck competes more directly with the Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and even well-equipped gasoline trucks. The rapid backlog accumulation proves there is a large pool of potential buyers who want a Cybertruck but have been waiting for a more accessible price point. Whether those buyers will convert at $70,000 remains to be seen, but Taha Abbasi suspects many who placed orders during the promotional window will follow through since they locked in the lower price.

For Tesla, the demand data from this experiment is valuable regardless of the public relations outcome. The company now knows exactly how price-elastic Cybertruck demand is at different price points, which informs future pricing decisions, production planning, and trim strategy. If Tesla eventually introduces a single-motor Cybertruck at a lower price point, the demand curve data from this experiment will have directly informed that decision.

Comparison to the Competition

At $69,990, the Cybertruck AWD is positioned against a competitive field. The Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat starts at approximately $67,000 with dual motors and 320 miles of range. The Rivian R1T starts at about $69,900 for the Dual Motor configuration with 270 miles of range. The Chevrolet Silverado EV starts higher at around $74,000 for the RST trim. The Cybertruck’s 325-mile range, standard adaptive damping, powered tonneau, and Powershare V2X capability make it competitive on features, though the polarizing design remains a barrier for some buyers.

The Cybertruck’s most significant advantage over all competitors is Tesla’s Supercharger network and FSD capability. No other electric truck offers an autonomous driving system remotely comparable to FSD, and the Supercharger network provides the most reliable and widespread fast charging infrastructure in North America. For buyers who plan to use their electric truck for long-distance travel, these software and infrastructure advantages justify a premium price regardless of the spec sheet comparison.

The Lease Option Removal

One detail that has received less attention than the price increase is Tesla’s removal of the lease option for the Cybertruck AWD. This is significant because leasing is the most popular acquisition method for vehicles in this price range, with approximately 30 percent of new vehicle transactions structured as leases. By removing the lease option, Tesla is effectively telling buyers they must commit to purchasing the vehicle outright or through a loan, which increases the financial commitment and reduces the pool of qualified buyers.

The lease removal may be related to Tesla’s long-term strategy around autonomous driving. If Tesla plans to eventually recall leased vehicles for robotaxi fleet deployment, as Musk has suggested in the past, maintaining control over the vehicle fleet through purchase-only sales makes strategic sense. It may also reflect confidence that demand is strong enough to fill the order backlog without the lease incentive. Taha Abbasi notes that Tesla has historically used lease availability as a demand lever, adding or removing it based on production and sales goals.

Bottom Line

The Cybertruck AWD at $70,000 is a capable and competitive electric truck that suffers from a self-inflicted perception problem. Tesla’s pricing strategy was clever from a demand generation perspective but clumsy from a brand trust perspective. For buyers evaluating the vehicle on its merits, the AWD trim offers genuine value at the price point. For those who feel manipulated by the 10-day promotional window, the frustration is understandable. The broader lesson is that in the age of social media transparency, pricing games that might have worked in traditional dealership environments are visible, debatable, and potentially damaging when every move is analyzed in real time by millions of followers. Tesla would do well to price with conviction rather than creating artificial urgency that undermines customer trust.

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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com