Report: RHD Tesla Cybertruck Mulled for Australia – Malaysia Included?

Tesla has reportedly confirmed that the right-hand drive version of the Cybertruck is being considered for Australia.

What was once considered a forbidden fruit turns out to be eventually attainable, as Tesla has reportedly confirmed plans to produce a right-hand drive (RHD) version of its all-electric pick-up truck, the Tesla Cybertruck.

According to Drive Australia, the RHD Cybertruck would need some minor modifications before being made ready for the Australian market. The news outlet further added that Tesla confirms that the Aussie-bound Cybertruck won’t be a watered-down version of the standard model, assuring Aussie buyers they would get the real deal.

"We are working pretty hard to get [Cybertruck] in right-hand drive," Tesla Australia country director Thom Drew told Drive Australia.

With that being said, this plan is still far from over the line, as it would require a right-hand-drive model to be engineered exclusively for Australia, with the current crop of Cybertrucks manufactured at Tesla Giga Texas all being left-hand drive (LHD) versions.

Drew also added that the Tesla Australia team is now in the process of building a solid business case for the RHD Cybertruck, with the boss noting Australia will likely be the only right-hand drive market to get the converted EV truck. This could potentially mean that other key RHD markets like the UK, Thailand, and even Malaysia might not be getting this EV truck, despite the extensive local tour campaign organised by the automaker last year.

“Certainly, it’s a segment that… utes in general are super popular here. Yes, this is a class above in size and all that, but there really isn’t anything like it that I see in the market or coming soon, so we think there’s a really strong case.

“It is in our sights, and we’re talking with the engineering team about the feasibility of building it in right-hand drive. In all honesty, it would only be for our market, so there is that challenge to consider, but we’re working very hard,” he told Drive Australia.

RHD conversions aside, perhaps the hardest thing Tesla Australia has to tackle is how to fit the Cybertruck according to the Australian Design Rule (ADR). With that being said, Drew said the final product would look more or less the same as the current LHD Cybertruck.

While it is thought that the Cybertruck’s steer-by-wire system won’t adhere to the ADR regulations, the Tesla Australia boss inferred that the automaker will focus on modifications such as the Australia-compliant lighting units, rather than a re-engineering of the vehicle.

Should Tesla manage to do this conversion and modification out of its Giga Texas plant, it would lend the EV truck a significant price advantage over other full-size pick-up trucks that are converted to right-hand drive locally.

Source: Drive Australia