Exclusive Renderings Reveal An Almost Normal

Here's a Tesla Cybertruck but with its triangular shape thrown away in favor of a traditional three-box design.

The Tesla Cybertruck is the polar opposite of everything about modern automotive design. A pickup truck is supposed to have a three-box design, consisting of the hood, the body, and then the bed. The Cybertruck, on the other hand, is a triangular piece of automotive design. Tesla's shock-and-awe approach in designing the Cybertruck was purposeful, and so is its cold-rolled stainless steel skin, because the vehicle has become a conversation starter. But we have decided to go the other way around and instead create a Cybertruck that looks more conventional. Does it make it more appealing to look at? Let's dive in.

Related: Scoop! Here's Your First Look At The Tesla Cybertruck's Interior!

These digital renderings, courtesy of Yasid Design for TopSpeed, showcases a Cybertruck with a traditional three-box silhouette as opposed to its current triangle shape. Even as it transforms into a more conventional pickup, it still needs to retain familiar Cybertruck design cues, such as the full-width LED light bar at the front and rear fascias of the vehicle. Oh, and just like the actual Cybertruck, this digital rendering retains the sharp angles of the Tesla, only this time, there's increased use of 90-degree angles since this has now transformed into a box on wheels.

What this digital rendering seems to have ditched is the Cybertruck's stainless steel exoskeleton. The truck was first unveiled in 2019, but it's only this year that Elon Musk has promised that small-scale Cybertruck production will finally kick off this year. The long delays could be attributed to the stainless steel panels, which have never been used in such a wide-scale mass-produced vehicle. There's a perfectly good reason for that because stainless steel is hard to form into shapes (which is why the Cybertruck is devoid of any complex surfacing). It's also a rigid piece of metal, which is not good when it comes to pedestrian safety. The last car to be produced using stainless steel panels is the DMC DeLorean, and only about 9,000 examples were made throughout its production run.

Related: 10 Things You Should Know About The Tesla Cybertruck

Because of this digitally-rendered Tesla Cybertruck's three-box design, the vehicle has become more practical and versatile for utility use. The triangular shape of the original Cybertruck meant that the types of cargo you could haul at its bed is severely limited. The triangular roofline flows all the way to the end of the bed--creating a sort of blockage that limits the shapes of the cargo you could carry. By creating a square bed with a sports bar, the bed area has been opened up and thus gives customers greater flexibility on what type of cargo they could carry.

But there's a reason why the Cybertruck has adopted that shape. The triangular silhouette makes it more aerodynamic than your usual rectangular pickup, and with EVs, aerodynamics plays a huge role in how far it can travel on a full charge. Speaking of range, Tesla claims range estimates of 250 to 620 miles, but with this traditionally-designed Cybertruck, this could drop to around 500 miles. Still impressive considering that the current range champion, the Silverado EV, can do up to 450 miles according to the EPA. For comparison with other electric pickups, here's how the Cybertruck currently fares.

Tesla Cybertruck

Ford F-150 Lightning

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Rivian R1T

MSRP

$39,900 (2019 announcement)

$49,995

$74,800

$73,000

Horsepower

805 hp (Tri-Motor)

425 - 580 hp

510 - 664 hp

533 - 835 hp

Torque

TBA

775 lb-ft

615 - 785 lb-ft

829 - 908 lb-ft

Battery Size

TBA

98 - 131 kWh

200 kWh

105 - 180 kWh

Range

250 - 620 miles

230 - 320 miles

400 - 450 miles

270 - 400 miles

0-60 MPH

6.5 - 2.5 sec.

4.1 - 3.8 sec.

4.5 sec. (RST only)

4.5 - 3.0 sec.

Max Towing

15,000 lbs

10,000 lbs

10,000 lbs

11,000 lbs

Related: Why The Tesla Cybertruck Is Worth Waiting For

The magic question now is, would you buy this Cybertruck? That depends on who you ask. However, considering that the triangular Cybertruck already has a lot of reservations and fans, it's safe to say that if you take the triangular shape away and replace it with something conventional, customers would probably be less interested in the Cybertruck than they currently are.

Isaac Atienza is a Filipino motoring journalist who joined TopSpeed.com in 2021. He also owns a Filpino motoring website called Go Flat Out PH and is also a contributor to a local newspaper called The Manila Times. Isaac Atienza is a car enthusiast who especially thinks that wagons are the best type of vehicle, though sports cars and anything with three pedals also tickles his fancy.