Spied! Altered Tesla Cybertruck seen testing with wing mirrors, wipers

After a few years of effective dormancy, the last few months have seen plenty of news regarding the much anticipated Tesla Cybertruck. 

A quick refresher. First, the model was confirmed as being delayed, with production now set to kick off in 2022 having initially been slated for late 2021. Then this week, Tesla removed a raft of information about the Cybertruck from its online landing pages worldwide, including US pricing. 

Now, completing the trifecta, footage of the Cybertruck testing out and about at an airfield in California has been published online, showing a series of minor tweaks to what remains one of the most interesting and divisive designs in motoring. 

The general theme of the changes is production readiness. The Cybertruck has grown a pair of wing mirrors, some windscreen wipers, and what appear to be a set of more off-the-shelf-looking tyres. 

Tesla cynics have long criticised the Cybertruck as being ‘vapourware’ and a vehicle that was unlikely to ever make production, with the initially revealed 2019 prototype’s lack of wing mirrors and windscreen wipers cited as evidence at the time. 

Of course, the Cybertruck has been seen with camera-based virtual wing-mirrors, too. Tesla CEO addressed those on Twitter earlier today, noting that the physical traditional mirrors are “required by law, but designed to be easy to remove by owners”. 

The fact these elements have now been added strengthens the view that the Cybertruck will hit production with minimal meaningful changes.

On top of these tweaks, the Cybertruck in the brief clip also has a set of new fog lights at the base of its front bumper, which itself appears to have been redesigned slightly to accommodate them. 

Some have also speculated that the video shows the Cybertruck steering with its rear wheels. Musk announced earlier in the year that Tesla was working on a four-wheel steering system, perhaps in response to the Rivian R1-T’s ‘Tank Turn’ feature.