Tesla quietly axes Cybertruck RWD trim in US: Poor value and weak demand may be to blame

Tesla's Cybertruck Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive was released in the U.S. early this year. However a closer look at the company's online configurator in the United States shows that it is no longer being offered.

The automaker's website now has only two trims of the Cybertruck available. The All-Wheel Drive (AWD) sold at $79,990 and the Cyberbeast at $114,990.

The discontinued RWD trim was supposed to be the less expensive version with it priced at $69,990 before incentives. The $7,500 U.S. federal EV tax credit could further reduce the price to $62,490.

However, with the looming end of the credit in site, its price advantage is quickly eroded. At almost $70,000, the RWD was the midpoint between ‘affordability’ and Tesla’s higher-performance trucks. It has a range of approximately 350 miles (563 km) and a towing capacity of 7,500 lbs. It can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds. Its weight of 6,117 lbs puts it over 500 lbs lighter than the AWD trim. 

However, it was missing the premium leather-like seat finish of the AWD and its audio has just 7 speakers instead of 15 in AWD and Cyberbeast. Basically, it looked and felt cheaper even though it still cost almost $70,000 without the tax credit. For just $10K more, buyers could get the AWD, which offered more power and better traction.

The Cybertruck lineup is now simpler with the AWD as the entry-level option and the Cyberbeast as the high-performance model.