- The Tesla Cybertruck comes unpainted from the factory.
- In December 2023, Tesla started selling factory-installed paint protection film.
- Now, the service is gone from the automaker's website.
Ever since the Tesla Cybertruck debuted as a prototype back in 2019, Tesla and its rather outspoken CEO, Elon Musk, made a couple of things clear. One of those things was that the angular-shaped electric pickup’s stainless steel body didn’t need any protection.
That includes paint. “No paint, no chips,” as per Tesla’s website. So when the AI and robotics company started selling factory-installed paint protection film, some eyebrows were raised among the community, especially since the product’s description on Tesla’s online shop read clearly: “Protects against scratches.”
Well, at least it used to read that, because the factory wrap service is dead, as spotted by Drive Tesla Canada. It’s not exactly a tear-filled event, seeing how the various colored wraps have been mostly out of stock since January, according to the automaker’s website seen through the Wayback Machine. But removing the service entirely from the web–the shop page no longer exists–can mean several things.
It can indicate that there’s a supply issue with the raw materials used for the urethane-based protection film. Tesla said the “self-healing” material was twice the thickness of vinyl on average and that it was more environmentally friendly than traditional vinyl wraps. The fact that it has been out of stock for almost a year leads me to believe that there was a problem somewhere along the supply chain.
That said, it could also mean that not enough people bought the option in the first place. The service debuted with just two color options available–satin black and satin white–but at some point this year there were no fewer than 11 colors on sale with prices ranging between $6,000 and $6,500.
Another possibility is that not enough people are buying the Cybertruck itself to justify a time-intensive wrapping service. Yes, the controversial EV was the third-best-selling battery-electric vehicle in the United States in the third quarter of this year, but the reservation backlog appears to be over. Anyone can go on Tesla’s website, order a new Cybertruck and expect delivery in as little as one month–a big departure from the “over 1 million” reservations claim floating around before deliveries of the Cybertruck began in November of last year.
We would have some answers if Tesla responded to press inquiries, but it hasn't done that ever since Musk dissolved the automaker's PR department in 2020.
