I love a good bootleg, and the cheaper and crappier and more half-assed the better. Given the choice between an officially-licensed Superman action figure or a Superb-Man Active Figure with real Warm-Vision, I’m going to be drawn to the crappy knockoff.
And that could be why this amazing, misshapen silvery mass drew me in like a moth to a flame, or maybe a crudely drawn flame on a chunk of drywall. Meet the Aitekx Robotruck, the first Tesla Cybertruck knockoff to be introduced to humanity, and, based on the looks of the thing, it’s an absolute pile.
Now I should be clear that I have not yet spoken to the Aitekx representative and gotten all the details about this vehicle; I’ll be doing that tomorrow, at the show, and I will tell you everything I find out; until then, we have these pictures to look at and Aitekx’ website, which features a lot of improbable photos and some really painfully obvious spelling errors:
I make plenty of spelling errors myself, but I think when I have only two words to deal with, I can usually figure it out. This is also fun, and even more baffling:
3-raw seats? 2-raw seats? Are these uncooked seats? Seat tartare? A typo is one thing, but this is repeated. How?
The truck itself, called the Robotruck 1T in truck version and the Robotruck 1V in SUV form (I can’t actually tell the difference in the two based on the website) and seems pretty clearly modeled after the Tesla Cybertruck, but with enough styling differences to, I suppose, keep everything nice and legal.
In person, the Robotruck appears to have been built with a level of focus and care and attention that can only be described as “chimp-grade.” It’s appalling, in an absolutely gleeful way. I mean, just look at this thing:
Wow. I know we’ve all enjoyed a good, wholesome chuckle at the suspect build quality of the pre-production Cybertruck but this is an entirely different level of shittiness. If the Cybertruck’s build quality is somewhat shoddy, with uneven panel gaps, then the Robotruck is deity-level shoddy, with panel gaps that aren’t just large, but also incredibly uneven and wavy, and appears to have been put together with the sort of precision normally associated with a gravel driveway.
Look at how that door doesn’t exactly close! Absolutely no panel here actually fits; look at those strange metal slats that make up the sloping rear of the thing – they look like metal 2x4s haphazardly nailed to the sides.
What’s going on here? Are those rivet heads? Are there fingerprints in that paint?
Dear God, look at that. It’s like a guy with mittens was injected with several shots of Novacaine in the wrists, and handed a rubber mallet and told to “build the car.”
From what I could see, it looks like an absolute pile. Now, again, I haven’t spoken with Aitekx representatives about anything yet, and it’s possible there’s really good reasons for why the Robotruck looks like it was made by smacking parts together with a salami. It’s possible this all somehow makes sense, even if I can’t really see it.
Aitekx (that name seems to come from combining AI and tech and and X, because why the hell not, I suppose, letters are free) claims that the Robotruck will get “up to” 550 miles of range, and it’s worth noting that when you say something that can get “up to” 550 miles, that means that getting one mile is as valid as 200 miles, and the only thing that wouldn’t be possible with that claim is anything 551 miles or more. They also say it will go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 165 mph.
Do you want to order one of these Wish.com Cybertrucks? The Cybertrucks of we have Cybertruck at home? If so, you can plop down $100 for a reservation, and guarantee that you’ll be in line to get ahold of one of these Robotrucks, which will likely be ready for delivery on the 14th of Never, in the year two thousand and are-you-fucking-kidding-me. Or it’ll be next year! Who knows, the Tesla Cybertruck has been promised since 2019, after all.
Do you feel good about sending money to a company whose address appears to be a PO Box, at least according to their trademark registration? Do you feel good about sending money to a company whose X account looks like this?
Unusual activity. I wonder if that includes the unusual activity of building a Cybertruck knockoff out of crap and dreams?
The Robotruck does seem to offer some advantages over the Cybertruck, including a third row of seats and what looks like a folding mid-gate:
I mean, in those renders, that looks pretty good! Unfortunately, reality is a big old jerk.
There does seem to be some sort of electric drivetrain under there, so that much seems true. Everything else I’m really skeptical about, but I’ll try and find out what I can. I’ll also ask them what it means when they say the Robotruck is a “fun midsize EV pickup with robotics and AI capability,” because I have no idea at all what the hell that means. Is it some euphemism for a semi-automated system?
This thing is absurd, but I adore the chutzpah it takes to blatantly knock off one of the most talked-about designs in recent memory, all while building it with a level of attention that suggests everyone involved was half-watching some YouTube videos or in the throes of a full-on ether high.
This thing is fascinating. The difference between the dreams of the builders, as expressed through these many renders, and the brutal reality of the half-ass-seeming physical truck itself, parked there smack dab in the middle of the LA Auto Show, is sobering.
I’ll check it out up close and get all the details tomorrow, but based on what I’ve seen and read so far, this goofy bootleg Cybertruck isn’t giving me a lot of confidence.
I’m thrilled it’s here, though. Best car of show, hands down.
Design-wise, I think only the front manages to actually look worse than the Cybertruck. Everything else works better for me. To be clear, I’m talking about the renders, the actual prototype is so hilariously bad, it feels like it may be a joke at the expense of the Cybertruck’s build quality.
Ok, people. No need to worry or anything, but if you look at the glasshouse, the pictures on the website look fine, but the Auto Show car seems to be a bit close to a Ford Maverick… Are we sure this isn’t just a rebody for the show?
Did anyone else notice they have G+ under their social media links? G+ was shut down almost 5 years ago
I just woke up and didn’t read the title, thus thought this was the CT. Other than the front lights, I was thinking “okay, the roofline and side look much better”. They’re more pleasing in a way than hard lines. Still too dramatic though.
I do like how they included the hood dip that Tesla sort of wiggled their way into by borrowing a Porche design.
Love the S, 3 and the idea of the Y. Still not a CT fan!
I like it. I’ll take several, in 25-30 years after pulling them out of peoples’ back yards.
Spanish Autopista logo? OIP.oLz6n_elo99033_TlQ1M-wHaEi (474×290) (bing.com)
The sad thing is that the render is a better design than Elon’s fever dream.
The top speed is advertised as “165m/h” which could be meters.
Torch – you need to dream bigger. This has potential just like the $99 3D printing machine I invested in on Kickstarter 4 years ago. I know it will be shipping soon now that all the supply chain issues are gone.
God, they never shipped that thing? You can walk into Microcenter right now and buy an Ender 3 for $99 with the in-person coupon on their site
*shaking fist at those of you who have a MicroCenter less than a 3 hour flight away*
More importantly….based on the greenhouse, can we tell what poor soul of a vehicle gave its life for this…ummm….mock-up?
Ram I think?
How do you show up to a legitimate event with something this shitty and expect to be taken seriously? What kind of person wastes their time with something like this? They are either deranged or this is a big joke.
Well, I did take one of my not entirely dissimilar cars to the Seattle Auto Show in 2010 to be part of an exhibit sponsored by the LeMay Museum and at the time I came away with the impression that it had been reasonably well received:
https://live.staticflickr.com/4091/5188042372_bf22599a48_c.jpg
On the other hand, I’ve never been invited back.
That looks neat!
Thanks! It’s a 1980 KV Mini 1. It was made right around the time the company was changing its name to KVS which is what’s shown on the banner above the car. The hood emblem used during the transition shows both names:
https://live.staticflickr.com/4104/5182345132_56838482fb_o.jpg
Here’s another view from that same exhibit which shows its drivetrain. It drives the rear wheels by rotating two small grindstones which rub against the tires:
https://live.staticflickr.com/1272/5187435727_83bf4fa4dc_c.jpg
What’s the sticker(?) on the door handle? Almost looks like a My Name Is sticker.
And, I can’t relate to multi-million dollar Ferraris and such, but your car is like, ‘Yeah; I’m a car. Whaddya want, posh? Shutup, get in, and let’s go, buddy.
The museum gave us all some of those “look, don’t touch” stickers which normally isn’t a point of concern for me but the KV’s door handles are somewhat problematic. They look very much like they should turn but they instead must be pulled without turning. Combine this with the fact that they’re made entirely out of not the best grade of plastic which is now also even more brittle with age and this is a recipe for easily snapping them. I decided to put a sticker over the handle on the exposed side of the car simply for its own protection. It seems to have worked.
It’s an obvious scam, and just like all obvious scams, the obviousness is intentional to weed out anyone smart enough to not fall for it. They riveted some crappy makeshift body panels to a donor truck in the hopes that a few dudebros with more money than sense will plop down a deposit for one, which they will happily take with no intention of delivering anything.
If this horrendous mock-up didn’t exist, and I just went off of the renderings, I’d say the cybertruck is the dumpy knock-off.
You’d think that all British Leyland workers would be well into retirement age these days… Maybe they have seen their pensions vanish as a consequence of Brexit and have been forced to find work with one of the many new EV start-ups?
Not so much as panel gap as panel chasm.
This is the worst example of orange-peel paint I have ever seen.
And the panels are literally screwed on… oy vey. It looks like a 3rd grader built it.
Elon Musk has found his sub-contractor to put the CyberTruck into production at a substantial discount from his current plant and labor force. No refunds, no returns, no exchanges.
Meanwhile, the no-name knockoff is available from semi-illiterate sellers now on Amazon.
That’s totally a transmorpher.
They’re ripping off both Tesla and Hyundai designs simultaneously which is impressive.
That guy sitting in the chair looks like he’s still waiting for his Valium to kick in.
Let me know if he moves before Monday please.
I want to know if the truck moves (on its own steam) before Monday.
Well, rendering is relatively expensive, they require good modelling and a powerful machine. so, they invested some coin here.
Also, this car shows that we have been too harsh with Tesla building quality.
Torch, I want to see pictures from inside. They may be a clue to discover what this thing is based on.
I already mentioned it elsewhere in the comments, but it appears to be a 2013/2014 Toyota Tacoma. Interior pictures are posted elsewhere, the door cards and window shapes match the Taco.
Well, if true, probably they would make more money selling conversion kits.
Nope, they sent the 3D model to a company that made the renders for under a thousand. Which is, admittedly, as much as it cost to build the truck itself.
They put the panels in “place” using rivets. Probably that thousand bucks were almost all they had.
I really hope this turns out to be some rich person who has decided to waste a bit of money trolling Musk. I didn’t see a ship date. Is it April 1st?
I would hope so. Otherwise, they have some serious problems.
April 20th, natch.
you beat me to it <insert :prayinghands: here>
I mean I know people plopped down money for Cybertrucks and they have not seen one in the driveway and never will for the promised price, Elio I think is still taking money and getting nothing completed. Seems like a pretty interesting trend to take money for vaporware these days.
“The 2024 RoboTruck. Available exclusively on Temu.”
Normally $52,000. Today: $3.82
I’ve got a better deal, I’m building a….Techno…Truck, yeah that’s it, everyone give me $75 to reserve it, it’ll have an electric motor and up to 4 wheels.
This is awesomely horrible, I can’t even say this is China knockoff bad, did Yugoslavia reform and they’re building evs now?
“Up to 4 wheels” made me laugh out loud, thanks!
So I can’t even option a spare? No deposit from me.
Who said anything about not having a spare on a truck with up to four wheels? Just put it behind the cab like FAR did:
https://i.servimg.com/u/f83/17/27/73/76/588_0010.jpg
Yugos had better panel fitment
It looks like the metal flashing installation done on a roof in the Bronx when the Contractor’s sub-contractor hired another sub-contractor.
I would rock this over a CyberTruck any day, as long as the price was commensurate with the build quality. Park it next to my homemade, Fiero-based Enzo.
That would be great if it was a kit: turn your late model S-10 into a Cybertruck!
Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to criticize the RoboTruck if the only photo you provided was that head-on one with the headlights on.
….of course, that’s a pretty specific requirement. The rest is, indeed, ass.
I am curious about where/what makes up the CHMSL and brake lights in general–wonder if their solutions are better/less dubiously legal than the Cybertruck’s.