Pharrell Williams has trouble parallel parking Tesla Cybertruck, so he has valet do it
Pharrell Williams rolled up to a Louis Vuitton store in Miami in a Tesla Cybertruck, but the “Happy” singer was left with a frown after failing to parallel park the futuristic-looking electric vehicle.
The award-winning producer attempted to squeeze the unwieldy, 18.5-foot-long stainless steel SUV between two cars for about 10 minutes between finally tossing the keys to a valet in the Design District last week.
The spectacle of a world-famous pop star struggling to parallel park drew a small crowd of onlookers — who promptly took out their phones and began snapping photos.
Pharrell is one of the first celebrities to be seen driving around in Elon Musk’s much-hyped $61,000 EV, which was finally rolled out late last year after several delays.
“This is going to appeal to … definitely a wealthier clientele that can afford the price point and they want something that is unique and quirky,” Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at auto research firm Edmunds, told Reuters.
“That just isn’t a large segment of the population that can afford that especially where interest rates are.”
Musk, who has reportedly drawn concern from executives at his companies over his alleged drug use, had pledged that the truck would be considerably cheaper.
In 2019, Musk estimated that the Cybertruck would sell for $40,000. At the time, more than a million people paid $100 deposits for reservations that would give them the rights to acquire the Cybertruck once they started rolling off assembly lines.
Instead, the company priced it at more than 50% over the originally proposed MSRP.
The truck, made of shiny stainless steel and shaped into flat planes, is partly inspired by a car-turned-submarine in the 1977 James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me,” Musk has said.
Its new body material and unconventional styling has added complexity and costs to production, and threatens to alienate traditional pickup truck buyers who focus on utility, experts say.
But Musk, who has priced the vehicle’s three variants between $60,990 and $99,990, said the Cybertruck has “more utility than a truck” and is “faster than a sports car.”
The vehicle enters a hot pickup truck market to compete with the likes of Ford’s F150 Lightning, Rivian Automotive’s R1T and General Motors’ Hummer EV.
The Cybertruck’s longest-range version can drive an estimated 340 miles and comes with a “range extender” or extra battery pack that extends its range to 470 miles.
In 2019, Musk had said the truck would be able to travel 500 miles or more on a single charge.
But test drivers found the range to be less than 300 miles.
