Tesla chief designer: Accidentally destroying Cybertruck windows was ‘great marketing opportunity’
Some may call Franz von Holzhausen’s accidental destruction of a Tesla Cybertruck window a blunder; von Holzhausen would prefer to call it a “great meme” instead.
During the 2019 reveal presentation of the Tesla Cybertruck, von Holzhausen, the company’s chief designer, threw steel balls at the vehicle, intending to demonstrate the windows CEO Elon Musk said were made of “armor glass” were indeed extra tough. The windows, however, unexpectedly shattered, leaving Musk to deliver the rest of his presentation of the new truck while standing in front of the damaged car. Tesla’s stock fell more than 5% the next day.
While the incident seemed like an omen, indicative of the Cybertruck being poised to fail, the botched demonstration actually opened up an opportunity to give the new model a spotlight, van Holzhausen said in an interview with Tesla Club Austria published on Saturday.
“It was just one of those Murphy’s Law kind of things where something about happens, but it turned out to be a great meme,” von Holzhausen said, referring to the phenomenon of when something can go wrong, it usually will. “And I think in an odd sort of way—we don’t do marketing—but it turned into a great marketing moment.”
“It was not an expected moment, but in that moment, you have to roll with it,” he added.
Following the reveal of the vehicle, Musk posted a video on X of van Holzhausen throwing a steel ball at the model Cybertruck before its launch, with its windows withstanding the force of the throw with no visible damage. The video was viewed more than 6 million times within three days of its posting.
“Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha,” Musk wrote.
Days later, Musk touted the success of the Cybertruck launch, saying Tesla had received more than 200,000 orders for the vehicle. While Tesla does not break out Cybertruck numbers when it reports earnings, instead grouping them with the Model S and X, the company recalled nearly all of the Cybertrucks it had on the road earlier this year due to an issue where an exterior panel could become detached, and that only tallied around 46,000 vehicles.
Bigger problems than broken windows
Despite Musk’s preorder optimism, Cybertruck’s inauspicious launch was a sign of things to come for the vehicle. Though Musk initially bragged the truck would retail at only $39,900 when it was expected to hit the market in late 2021, the Cybertruck faced years of delays, debuting in November 2023 with a price tag of $60,990.
Tesla tried to reclaim the shattered glass mishap with a $45 T-shirt sold on its website, but the brand was developing an otherwise soured reputation on other parts of the internet, particularly as concerns mounted over the security of the Cybertrucks, which saw numerous recalls as a result of a malfunctioning tire pressure monitoring system, among other issues—including the aforementioned recall of all 46,100 Cybertrucks ever delivered back in March.
To pile onto its troubles, multiple deaths have occurred following Cybertruck crashes. One wrongful death lawsuit alleged the truck had defective safety mechanisms after a man in Houston died in a crashed Cybertruck that burst into flames.
Safety concerns and recalls associated with the Cybertruck have coincided with faltering sales for the truck. The vehicle’s demand remained steady last year, but Cybertrucks are now piling up in lots as dealerships navigate stockpiles of the unwanted vehicles. Last quarter, Cox Automotive reported Cybertruck sales plummeted 51% year-over-year to just 4,300 vehicles, eclipsed by the Ford F-150 Lightning and GMC Hummer EV truck as legacy brands gain market momentum.
“Suffice it to say, the hyper-competitive EV market is providing the troubled automaker no relief,” Cox Automotive said in its report.
Tesla did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
