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Ford calls for Tesla Cybertruck tug-of-war rematch

Standby for round two of the Tesla Cybertruck versus Ford F-150 tug-of-war after a challenge issued and accepted via Twitter. 


US car giant Ford has issued a challenge to Tesla after the electric start-up showed a video of its new Cybertruck towing a Ford F-150 backwards uphill in a tug of war contest.

Ford believes it was not a fair fight because Tesla used a heavier all-wheel-drive version of the Cybertruck to go up against a lighter, rear drive Ford pick-up.

Ford executive Sundeep Madra challenged Tesla boss Elon Musk via Twitter for a rematch, claiming it was unfairly skewed in the Tesla’s favour.

“Send us a Cybertruck and we will do the apples for apples contest for you,” the Ford executive said in a Tweet.

Elon Musk replied: “Bring it on”.

It is unclear if the test will go ahead with the help of Tesla. But you can be sure there will be numerous attempts to re-enact the tug-of-war as soon as a Tesla Cybertruck becomes available. Ford will likely be at the head of the queue.

However, we will need to wait quite some time before we see round two. The Tesla Cybertruck is not due to go into production until 2021.

Ford has experience in towing tests. It has previously demonstrated one of its F Series pick-ups pulling a 450-tonne freight train.

In the meantime, automotive experts are still trying to ascertain if the showroom version of the Tesla Cybertruck will look as unconventional and as futuristic as the show car.

Safety experts have queried whether the blunt front bumper and sharp-edged bonnet will meet strict pedestrian safety requirements.

Tesla is yet to announce if there will be any changes to the production version of the Cybertruck.

However it’s likely the Cybertruck’s “armour glass” windows will be strengthened following the embarrassing failure in front of a global audience last week.

Elon Musk had a helper throw a steel ball - a bit bigger than a golf ball - at the side glass, only for it to shatter unexpectedly. They then tried the same stunt on a second window and that shattered too.

“Oh well, some room for improvement,” Musk said, before continuing his presentation while standing awkwardly in front of the Cybertruck and its two shattered windows.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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