In fact, Tesla's Elon Musk - who introduced the Cybertruck live on stage - noted that the reveal took place on the 21st of November 2019, the date that flashes on screen at the start of legendary 'cyberpunk' film Blade Runner.
Inspired by Blade Runner
The Cybertruck can certainly lay claim to being inspired by the legendary Ridley Scott sci-fi epic - its sharp angles and wedge-shaped design certainly seem to be a reference to the vehicles designed for Blade Runner by the great Syd Mead. It's an almost perfect wedge, with no definable bonnet and the cabin extending seamlessly back from the front of the vehicle. Musk says that the styling was also inspired by the original Lotus Esprit, a car that he is known to be keen on - he owns one of the original prop Lotus 'submarines' from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.
As far as film allusions go, there's also a (slight) Back To The Future connection - just like the DeLorean DMC-12, the Cybertruck's body is made from ultra-strong cold-rolled stainless steel (the car will be sold only in natural-finish steel, but you will be able to buy a vinyl wrap if you fancy a colour). Along with reinforced glass panels, this led Musk to make the claim that the pickup is 'impact resistant' and close to bullet-proof. The claim didn't stack up on the night, though, as the show car's side glass shattered when a metal ball was thrown at it.
Pickups are America's best-sellers
Perhaps Musk's aim will be better when it comes to pointing the Cybertruck at the huge number of pickup sales in the US. "We need sustainable energy now. If we don't have a pickup truck we can't solve it. The top three selling vehicles in America are pickup trucks. To solve sustainable energy we have to have a pickup truck" said Musk at the event.
The Cybertruck certainly seems to have the performance numbers to take on the big-selling Detroit pickups. Tesla claims that it can tow a 6,350kg weight, and carry a payload of 1,580kg. It'll be sold with three one-charge ranges - 300km, 500km and 800km, while the top-spec models will come with three electric motors (one for the front wheels, one each for the rears). Adaptive air suspension will also be standard, which is impressive for a car that will have a $39,990 (€36,000) starting price in the States.
Fold-out cooker and load-bed tent
Options will include a series of fold-out components that extend from under the load bed, one of which is a cooker. There's also a tent - which mimics the angular lines of the bodywork - that can be clipped to cover the cargo bed.
The cabin uses a similar minimalist aesthetic to that of the Tesla Model 3, with all of the instrumentation and infotainment taken care of by a huge 17-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash. There's seating for six, thanks to a central jump-seat in the front row.
Sales of the Cybertruck will start in 2021, with the top-spec three-motor version arriving in 2022. Sadly, for now, there are no plans to sell it in Europe.