For now, it looks like electric guitars have had a mixed reception in the United States. The Tesla Cybertruck has had a lot of problems with production and could be a better design overall. However, the price of the Ford F-150 Lightning has changed from what it was at first. Also, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which is its major competitor, has already had its production ramp-up pushed back because fewer people want to buy electric cars. The F-150 Lightning sold a lot more than its competitors, but the Rivian R1T looked like it could handle the storm. However, new register data from S&P Global Mobility showed that Cybertruck was ahead of Rivian, which was losing ground. Automotive News says that 1,158 people registered the Tesla Cybertruck in March, just a few months after it was first shown in November 2023. Keep in mind that Cybertruck production was and is still being stepped up, so as summer comes, more people may sign up. Since Tesla doesn’t break down sales data by big market, Auto News points out that we can only use U.S. registrations to get a sense of how other markets are doing. Analysts say that the Cybertruck sells more than twice as many as the Rivian R1T, but they are still surprised by the current numbers. Tom Libby, who is the associate head of industry analysis at S&P, tells Auto News that he is “a little bit surprised.” The Cybertruck is one of a kind, and it’s amazing how quickly it can handle that much traffic. In March 2024, there were only 548 entries for the Rivian R1T, which is 65% less than the same time last year. It looks like at least some people in the market agree on something about the Cybertruck’s controversial looks and unique take on the pickup category. The R1T is losing its appeal because it looks more traditional and is made in a more useful way. Rivian is thought to have answered all of R1T’s questions and is now testing the product’s success in a more established market. The Cybertruck has only recently started to gain popularity. Rivian is putting more effort into making the R1S SUV than the truck these days, which makes sense since the company registered 3.5 times as many SUVs as R1T units in January. Still, the F-150 Lightning is ahead of both the Cybertruck and the R1T. In March 2024, 2,893 Lightnings were registered, which is almost three times as many as the same month the previous year. Even though there are a lot of Lightning EVs on store lots, registration data show that Ford’s EV full-sizer is doing better than both the public and its competitors. That might have been influenced by the recent huge price drops of up to $15,000 for the Lightning, but Rivian also dropped the price of the R1T by more than $3,000 earlier this year with little to no gain. Of course, the Rivian continues to have the highest starting cost of all the electric cars we’ve looked at so far. The Cybertruck costs $60,990, the R1T costs $71,700, and the F-150 Lightning costs $57,090. For the Cybertruck, a lot of the models that were bought were from the Foundation Series, which costs more than $100,000 when shipping costs are added in. You shouldn’t forget about the Chevrolet Silverado, which starts at $74,900 and comes in both gas and electric versions. Since it came out last summer, only 319 Silverado EVs have been registered as of March of this year. In March, 192 people signed up for GM’s other electric truck, the Hummer EV pickup, which will come out in late 2021 and cost almost $99,000. With 8,589 units recorded in the first quarter of 2024, the Ford F-150 Lightning was the model with the most registrations overall, even after March. That’s a 51% rise from the first quarter of 2023. If you live in South Texas like I do and often see rows of Lightning trucks on dealer lots, that number may surprise you. In Q1, only 1,791 Cybertruck models were registered. This is 56% less than the same time last year when 1,786 R1T units were registered. Woof. Auto News says that 400 people registered for the Hummer EV pickup in the “most recent quarter,” while 803 people registered for the Chevy Silverado. When you add up all the entries, the Ford F-150 Lightning has a lot more than any other one on our list. This shows that things are better than some people want you to think.
