• Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said there have been 250,000 pre-orders for Tesla’s futuristic Cybertruck pickup truck in an ultra-brief tweet on Monday.
  • Early on Monday morning, Musk tweeted the word “250k”, implying the new pre-oreder figure.
  • Tesla is currently taking pre-orders for the Cybertruck for $100 each. The vehicle is set to begin production in late 2021.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Elon Musk says there have been 250,000 pre-orders for Tesla’s Cybertruck.

The Tesla CEO and cofounder tweeted “250k” on Monday morning with no explanation, though his prior tweets indicate he’s referring to demand for the Cybertruck.

On Sunday November 24, he tweeted “200k”, and earlier that same day, he also tweeted that the number of orders had jumped to 187,000. The previous day, Musk said the number of orders had been placed despite “no advertising & no paid endorsement.”

"146k Cybertruck orders so far, with 42% choosing dual, 41% tri & 17% single motor," his earlier tweet read, referring to the three different configurations available: single-motor rear-wheel-drive, dual-motor all-wheel-drive, and tri-motor all-wheel drive.

The Cybertruck is Tesla's first venture into passenger trucking, and garnered immediate attention for its angular, tank-like design and extras like armored glass.

Tesla is currently taking pre-orders for the Cybertruck for $100 each. This doesn't mean Tesla will sell 250,000 Cybertrucks, of course, since some preorders may be cancelled and those deposits handed back to customers. As CNBC pointed out, Musk isn't really correct to describe the deposits as "orders", since it's not a final commitment or deposit to buy the vehicle.

The Cybertruck's unveiling in Hawthorne, California didn't go to plan for Tesla, as its armored glass windows were smashed by a metal ball in a demo meant to show off their strength. Though Musk laughed off the mishap onstage, exclaiming, "Oh my f---ing god" and "room for improvement," the video went viral and Tesla's stock price sank.

Musk has since attempted to set the record straight, however, and posted a video to Twitter over the weekend in which Tesla's lead designer threw a metal ball at Cybertruck's windows from a short distance away. This time, the ball bounced off without breaking the glass.