--- title: "That Matte Black Cybertruck Looks Absolutely Horrendous Up Close" description: "A matte-black Cybertruck, which Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen was driving around Southern California, looks awful up close." date: "2023-11-07" modified: "2023-11-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/matte-black-cybertruck-looks-horrendous" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "cybertruck" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # That Matte Black Cybertruck Looks Absolutely Horrendous Up Close ![A matte-black Cybertruck, which Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen was driving around Southern California, looks awful up close.]() *\Image: Daniel Golson via X\* ## Paint It Black In theory, we're [less than a month]() away from Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck delivery event at the company's Gigafactory in Texas. And while we've come across [plenty]() of [public sightings]() over the last couple of months, the fit and finish for the EV still [remain spotty at best](). Case in point is a new flavor of [Cybertruck with a matte-black wrap](), which Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen himself was driving around Southern California over the weekend. The vehicle drew plenty of attention from onlookers, as [photos]() and [videos]() circulating on social media show. It didn't take long, however, for alarm bells to go off. The vehicle is in a truly abysmal state, as *InsideEVs* contributor Daniel Golson, who got a first-hand view of the truck, [points out](), with massive gaps separating the pickup's awkwardly angled stainless steel body panels. Even the boxy tail lights are completely misaligned from each other. Sure, while we can chalk at least some of these shortcomings up to the fact that we're looking at a prototype — or at least we hope it's one — it's still astonishing that the company's willing to have this particular one be seen in public so close to Tesla's delivery event. https://twitter.com/dsgolson/status/1721214968304136578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721216438114177308%7Ctwgr%5Edcbdfae712a448d478e34e3f894b0b28087ceefe%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fjalopnik.com%2Fembed%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-1721216438114177308autosize%3D1 ## Digging Graves None of this should be too surprising. After all, Tesla has a [horrible track record]() when it comes to the fit and finish of its luxury vehicles, and the same goes for Tesla CEO Elon Musk's [much-beloved pet project](). Beyond these glaring issues, the truck may also end up being a massive money sink for the EV maker. During last month's earnings call, Musk [admitted]() that "we dug our own grave with the Cybertruck," pointing out how it was "incredibly difficult to bring to market" and predicting it won't be profitable until 2025. The clock is ticking and Tesla's widely anticipated delivery event is mere weeks away. Whether the Cybertrucks the company will show off on stage and start delivering to customers will look any better than von Holzhausen's blacked-out version remains to be seen. As always, there are plenty of risks to being an early adopter — and that's especially true for a difficult-to-make truck being sold by a company that's already notorious for its lack of attention to detail. **More on the truck:** *[Cybertruck Struggles to Drive Up Steep Dirt Road]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()