Back in the day, buying a Toyota in America was seen as an act of disloyalty. Japanese cars were hacked to death, and their owners were made fun of, and even cars were vandalized. Fast forward to now, and Toyota is the global carmaker. Now we seem to be witnessing history repeat itself–this time with the Tesla Cybertruck.
Tesla Cybertruck owners are finding themselves reeling from a year of emotional and cultural storm. The futuristic truck, with its stainless steel exoskeleton and angular design, has divided public opinion. They ridicule their looks and blame it on the political controversy surrounding Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
For Cybertruck owners, the hate has a strangely familiar stench to it: it recalls so much the blowback back in mid-20th-century America when early Toyota drivers faced it.
Owner Perspective: The Echoes of Toyota’s Struggle
Marcus Reno, a proud Cybertruck owner, expressed his views on the Tesla Cybertruck Owners Facebook group. “In the 1950s and 60s, owning a Toyota was a damn near unpatriotic thing,” he writes. “Those who bought Japanese cars were humiliated and charged with treason against domestic manufacturers. Sound familiar?”
Reno says that the backlash against the Cybertruck is not about its performance or design – it’s cultural. ‘The Cybertruck is the coolest, most American car on the market today.’ It is the most U.S.-sourced parts, labor, and innovation of most vehicles, yet nobody likes it. Why?”
For many, the problem is not the car, it is what the car stands for. Elon Musk’s public remarks and persona have turned Tesla into a controversy magnet. Therefore, the Cybertruck is now an icon. For some, it is a synonym of innovation and progress; for some of you, it represents elitism and disconnection.
But as many Cybertruck owners describe, hands-on expertise is the game-changer. “Once people ride in it or take a closer look, they change their mind,” Reno says. “It’s not just hype. This truck is changing what can be done.
Social Media and Public Reaction
Social media has made both the praise and the criticism louder. Some owners report quite incredible attention; some people stop them to ask questions, take pictures, and crave admiration. Others, as boyWHOcriedFSD on Facebook, report a sharp increase in nastiness. Now I’m getting nasty stuff – people showing me the ‘L’ finger, yelling mean stuff. It’s childish,” they wrote.
Innovation often meets resistance. Apple one time has been trashed by PC die-hards. Toyota spent decades overcoming disdain and becoming number one in the U.S. market. The Cybertruck is just the most recent to face the review by public review of its path to acceptance.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk knows the risk. He once said, “There’s always the possibility that Cybertruck will fail because it is so unlike anything else. I don’t care. I love it.” That love is reciprocated by many owners who do not perceive the Cybertruck as just an automobile, but as a Revolution.
