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The Tesla Cybertruck has sparked debate since its unveiling—its unconventional design polarizes onlookers. While most discussions center on the sharp-edged exterior, the Cybertruck interior design review reveals a different kind of disruption: lean architecture, minimal components, and clever compromises. In this Munro walkthrough, we dive into the interior, raising insightful questions about manufacturing strategy, cost efficiency, and the practicality of Tesla’s decisions.
As with all Munro teardowns, the goal isn’t just to evaluate what Tesla built, but how—and more importantly, why. Through this lens, the Cybertruck cabin becomes a showcase of minimalist engineering. It’s aimed at simplifying production and reducing failure points, even if it means polarizing user experience.
A First Look: Not Quite a Truck?
The review opens with the immediate impression that the Cybertruck resembles an SUV more than a traditional pickup. The Cybertruck’s proportions appear more compact than anticipated when seen in person. But despite skepticism about its “truckness,” the vehicle impresses in key functional areas like the bed lighting, underbed storage, and retractable tonneau cover.
The ability to pause the tonneau partway provides clever support for securing long materials like lumber. This offers a real use-case nod to utility. Still, question’s arise regarding the bed’s storage accessibility when loaded. Put simply, if your tie-down gear is buried under cargo, you’re out of luck. That trade-off may frustrate serious haulers.
Stainless Steel Simplicity: Exterior Panels as a Clue
Although not the primary focus of our review, mention must be made of a notable detail that ties into the vehicle’s interior design philosophy: the use of raw-cut stainless steel edges on the exterior panels.
Unlike traditional hemmed and rolled stampings, Tesla leaves burr-prone, sharp edges exposed. This could signal either advanced edge-finishing techniques or a radical acceptance of simpler manufacturing.
The “no-hem” approach exemplifies Tesla’s commitment to lean manufacturing, stripping down components to their essential function. This same mindset carries through to the interior.
Seats, Headrests, and Design Shortcuts
The Cybertruck’s seats depart from those in previous Teslas. The headrests appear fixed but may have been redesigned to eliminate the previously used chrome tubes and locking mechanisms—components that added cost without offering adjustability.
Additionally, the front seat risers show new styling in the side shield, which maintains the Cybertruck’s sharp aesthetic. However, these hard angles create challenges in injection molding, visible in the A-surface parting line wrapping around the front shield—a detail typically avoided by OEMs. It’s another clue that form often takes priority over convention here.
Door Panel Strategy: Clean But Complicated
From the top down, the door panel is layered with intention: a wrapped upper, an illuminated light pipe, an armrest with integrated controls, and a molded storage pocket at the base. Compared to the Model 3’s soft carpet-lined door bin, the Cybertruck uses a rubber insert inside an injection-molded cavity to reduce rattling.
This swap is likely a cost play, reducing part variation while controlling NVH (noise, vibration, harshness). But it adds manufacturing complexity when trying to wrap continuous elements like the armrest, which must be closed out invisibly on non-customer-facing surfaces.
Instrument Panel: Fewer Parts, Fewer Profits?
Tesla’s instrument panel (IP) raises another revealing question. Designed as a single clean sweep from side to side, it eliminates many traditional seams, fasteners, and cover panels. That’s great for quality control and manufacturing—but problematic for Tier 1 suppliers, who lose revenue opportunities on the now-missing subcomponents.
The question of how the instrument panel in the Cybertruck interior can be unbolted and removed remains unanswered, however, highlighting Tesla’s integrated approach that favors streamlined assembly and control over modularity and supplier-driven components.
Material Wrinkles and UV Trouble Spots
Tesla uses cut-and-sew suede and wrapped materials for the upper dash and speaker cover areas. We noted a sharp corner wrinkle where material bunches up—expected when wrapping over exterior corners. Interestingly, the imperfection stands out as a mark of authenticity—not molded plastic.
However, there is risk: the forward panel under the steeply raked windshield uses black fabric that may degrade under high UV loads. Similar adhesive failure occurred in the Corvette under similar conditions, causing material to shrink away from vent panels. Tesla appears to have tinted the glass, possibly to mitigate this risk—but it’s a potential failure point to watch over time.
Center Console and Floor: Unfinished Ideas?
The center console includes a floating bin with a power port, but unlike other Teslas, it’s not a sliding tray—it must be pulled out entirely. It feels like a halfway feature, missing either full integration or full utility.
On the floor, Tesla has left a flat surface, ideal for aftermarket quilting or customized flooring. Our engineers see aftermarket opportunity here, noting that the space almost invites third-party vegan leather sewn kits, especially given the truck market’s demand for personalization.
Rear Seats and Smart Storage
The rear bench folds up to reveal a flat loading surface—classic truck behavior. However, Tesla omits an independent under-seat storage bin, instead relying on the tailgate bin for tool storage. This raises concerns about accessibility if the bed is full.
The rear center armrest folds down to reveal cup holders and a child tether anchor. The headrests are movable, unlike the Model 3’s, and Tesla has added a small detail: a D-ring behind the seatbelt to lift the rear bench. Simple, but effective.
Rear Controls: High-Tech, Low-Cost?
Like the updated Model 3, the Cybertruck interior includes a rear touchscreen with HVAC, media, and seat heating controls. One standout feature is the ability to control the front passenger seat from the rear—an unexpectedly practical touch when chauffeuring taller passengers or children.
It’s a marvel that Tesla includes this feature in a $35,000 vehicle (Model 3), and now carries it over to the Cybertruck. The screen consolidates multiple functions, potentially replacing several physical switches. While there’s cost in the screen and software, Tesla avoids the separate hardware that traditional OEMs would use.
Design Takeaways: Function Over Familiarity
The true value of a teardown lies in uncovering the “how” behind the “what.” The Cybertruck interior may lack traditional luxury cues or overt ergonomics, but its lean paneling, simplified assemblies, and focus on manufacturability show a clear vision: Tesla is optimizing for cost, scale, and disruption.
The design isn’t for everyone—but it doesn’t have to be. As Tesla evolves from niche EV maker to volume OEM, the Cybertruck’s interior offers a glimpse into its manufacturing philosophy, and how it might shape future models.
Final Thoughts: More Than Just a Walkaround
This is just the beginning. Munro & Associates will be tearing down the Cybertruck completely—examining its structure, joining methods, seat internals, electronics, and material interfaces.
If you’re interested in how automotive innovation, cost engineering, and lean design come together in real products, then team up with Munro for the full Cybertruck teardown breakdown, and see how today’s wild design choices might power tomorrow’s manufacturing standards.