Tesla unveils first-ever electric pickup truck

At a launch event in Los Angeles,TeslaChief Executive Elon Musk said thetruck, which looked liked a futuristic armoured vehicle, will have a starting price of $39,900 and a maximum range of 500 plus miles.

"We need sustainable energy now. If we don't have apickuptruckwe can't solve it. The top threeselling vehicles in America arepickuptrucks. To solve sustainable energy, we have to have apickuptruck," he said.

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Production is expected to begin in late 2021.

Musk earlier tweeted the design was partly influenced by the Lotus Esprit sportscar that doubled as a submarine in the 1970s 007 films "The Spy Who Loved Me".

Thetruckmarks thefirstforay byTesla, whose Model 3 sedan is the world's top-selling battery-electriccar, intopickuptrucks, a market dominated by Ford Motor Co's F-150, along with models by General Motors Co, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

ThepickupshiftsTeslamore towardtrucks and SUVs. The automaker has so far sold mostly Model S and Model 3 sedans, but also offers the Model X SUV and starting next year the Model Y compact SUV.

A focus on the high-performance end of the market is only natural given the success of Ford's 450-horsepower F-150 Raptortruck, which launched in 2009 and whose sales have since risen annually, according to Ford spokesman Mike Levine.

While Ford does not disclose Raptor sales, Levine said annual demand is well above 19,000 vehicles and the number2 USautomaker has neverhad to offer incentives on the model, which costs in the high $60,000 range. Ford also offers the more expensive F-150 Limited, its most powerful and luxuriouspickup.

Ford and GM are also gearing up to challengeTeslamore directly with new offerings like the Ford Mustang Mach EelectricSUV as well aselectricpickups.

Electricpickups and SUVs could help Ford and GM generate the significant EV sales they will need to meet tougher emission standards and EV mandates in California and other states.

The Trump administration is moving to roll back those standards, butelectrictrucks are a hedge if California prevails.

Demand for full-sizeelectricpickuptrucks in the near term may not be huge, however.

Industry tracking firm IHS Markit estimates theelectrictrucksegment - both full- and mid-sized models - will account for about 75,000 sales in 2026, compared with an expected 3 million lighttrucks overall. TheTeslatruckis not part of that estimate.