Tesla Cybertruck Spotted In New Zealand, Possibly For Final Winter Testing

Snow isn’t usually the first thing that pops into our minds when we think of New Zealand.

Tesla Cybertruck prototype in New Zealand

Photo by: Cybertruck Owners Club

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jun 19, 2023 at 3:56am ET

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A covered Tesla Cybertruck prototype has been spotted while being unloaded from a cargo plane in New Zealand, presumably for the final stages of winter testing, before the much-anticipated all-electric pickup goes into production later this year.

The very short video (embedded below) was posted yesterday on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum by the user ModelAZ, who said that the test mule was heading toward the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds (SHPG).

Now, typically when we’re thinking about New Zealand, sun-filled valleys and beautiful green landscapes come into mind, with snow being probably the last thing we’d hope for. But as it turns out, from June to September – when the Northern Hemisphere experiences Summer, the Southern part of the planet still has plenty of snow, and the proving grounds located in the South Island of New Zealand are a well-versed location for automotive testing.

There’s even a promo video that shows what it’s all about:

Getting back to the Cybertruck, this isn’t the first time Tesla has gone through cold-weather testing, with a previous session held sometime in May on the company’s proving grounds in Alaska. Back then, the Austin-based EV brand even published a photo of the zero-emissions pickup playing in the snow:

The Tesla Cybertruck should perform well on snow- and ice-covered roads, with its quad-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, air suspension, and rear-wheel steering. That is if it’s equipped with the right tires, as a previous sighting showed a stuck Cybertruck in a field in rural Texas, likely because it was wearing road-oriented all-season tires and not proper off-road rubber.

The all-electric truck is scheduled to go into production later this year, as per the brand’s CEO Elon Musk, with a special handover event expected to happen around September.

What do you think?

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After multiple delays caused by the shortage of semiconductors, Tesla seems to finally keep its word regarding the Cybertruck, judging by the multiple prototype sightings in recent months, as well as the apparent ramp-up in development at the Austin Gigafactory.

As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.