Is the Tesla Cybertruck coming to Australia? Well, that depends if you want to buy one. In that case, the answer is sadly, no. CEO Elon Musk flagged pretty early on that it’s only intended for the U.S. market, and it’s not being produced in a right-hand drive config at all. What about it coming to Australia as a show pony tourist attraction? Well, in that case, good news, reader, a Tesla Cybertruck is touring Sydney.
An earlier version of this article reported that a left-hand drive Tesla Cybertruck had been spotted cruising around Sydney, imported by Tesla and driving around town with a Model 3 Performance. Now, Tesla has confirmed that it’ll be on display at Tesla stores over the next month.
Tesla Sydney: 26 April – 5 May 2024
— Tesla Australia & New Zealand (@TeslaAUNZ) April 26, 2024
Tesla Chatswood: 6 – 12 May 2024
Tesla Parramatta: 13 – 19 May 2024
Tesla Miranda: 20 – 26 May 2024
→ https://t.co/8i6Flak1ka pic.twitter.com/7OfQFI7pQl
Right now, the Cybertruck is on display at Tesla’s Alexandria showroom. Next week it’ll be at the Chatswood store, then the Parramatta store after that, and Miranda after that, with more stores to be added to the Cybertruck’s inaugural Australia New Zealand tour.
Tesla specifies that test drives of the Cybertruck are not available – it’s just a display model – but you will be able to drive a Model 3 or Y.
Tesla ANZ posted some photos and videos on its Instagram last week of a Tesla Cybertruck driving around Sydney. The snaps confirmed that it is an American left-hand-drive model, which explains the ‘Limited Use Only’ plates slapped onto the rear.
A rare vehicle has been spotted navigating the streets of Sydney this morning…👀 #teslacybertruck
— 2GB Sydney (@2GB873) April 26, 2024
MORE: https://t.co/hqzOSt5pPP pic.twitter.com/6JkmXEjndC
Funnily enough, this kind of thing is not uncommon. You see unreleased cars on Australian roads all the time. I saw an MG Cyberster drive right past me in the last few days, and BYD is constantly in the news about the cars it’s testing on Australian roads.
This wasn’t really a test though, just a bit of hype.
It brings me no pleasure to report that this extremely well-designed, safe, and well-conceptualised car is still not bound for the Australian market. Prospective Cybertruck owners could order one in Australia at one point, but this hasn’t been the case in years.
If you have your heart set on owning a Cybertruck, a smaller, international version for the Australian market may still be in the future, according to Musk himself back in 2020. However, according to Drive last year, the Cybertruck isn’t planned for any right-hand-drive market.
I certainly hope the Cybertruck driving around in Australia had its mandatory, safety rivet put in place.
Screenshots: Tesla Motors ANZ on Twitter/X
This article has been updated since it was originally published.