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.
“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.
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.
“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.
