The idea of a Tesla ute have been around for a some time, with plenty of quarters suggesting that something off of the Model S platform could have been an interesting proposition. If you think about it, they already have all-wheel drive, and a scalable platform that can easily be adapted for a ute body style. Just add ground clearance and a flatbed and you’re good to go, right?
It appears that Tesla has other ideas as far as a ute is concerned. They may do away with the traditional three-segment design that we thought they’d go for, instead taking a Semi and scaling it down. And while the idea of a cab-over design might seem cool initially, the sole teaser image suggests that it’ll have some serious hurdles to get over.
For starters, the ‘ute’ that Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off at the Semi launch was depicted with another ute in the bed, specifically a not-at-all-small Ford F150. That, to us at least, suggests that what Tesla has in mind for its ute is far larger than what we were expecting, and larger than what would be deemed as practical. Plenty of pundits have compared the Tesla ute to the Mercedes-Benz Unimog, while immediately taking potshots at its size.
It may be practical for something like the Semi to measure in as it does, but for something to drive day-in day-out in your life as a tradie, perhaps not. Where would you park it? How would you park it? And if it maintains the same central driving position, how will you avoid running over pets and small buildings that may be lurking in your blind spots?
We suspect we weren't the only ones who thought a Tesla-badged ute would be more similar to the Ford F150 or even the Ford Ranger in size, not something that would be more easily associated with a tipper lorry. While we admit that the Tesla ute looks cool, would we get that cool at perhaps 1/3rd the size? Thanks.
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