Tesla claims Cybertruck can withstand sub-machine gun barrage
One of the Tesla Cybertruck's most unique features could rule it out from ever going on sale in Australia.
Video of a Tesla Cybertruck riddled with bullet dents has been posted on social media, with company CEO Elon Musk confirming the damage was caused by a sub-machine gun.
Tesla Owners Silicon Valley posted the short video on X (formerly Twitter), with the Tesla boss responding claiming the Cybertruck proved to be bullet-proof.
"We emptied the entire drum magazine of a Tommy gun into the driver door Al Capone style," Musk wrote on X, which he also owns.
"No bullets penetrated into the passenger compartment."
Best known for their distinctive barrel magazine and their use in 1920s American mafia films, Thompson 'Tommy' guns are chambered in .45 ACP – a high-powered pistol round.
However, the test doesn't rule out smaller, more common pistol rounds being able to penetrate the Cybertruck's body, as the velocity from the Tommy gun's rounds is much slower than popular calibres such as the 9mm round used by most police departments.
While there's no indication of Tesla making the Cybertruck in right-hand drive, the car's armour could rule it out from ever being allowed to go on sale locally.
Armoured vehicles fall into the same category as bullet-proof vests in Australia, and are strictly regulated by the Federal Government. Typically only cash-in-transit security services and VIPs (with a very good reason) are granted permission to purchase armoured vehicles.