Stark side-by-side comparison photo of Tesla Cybertruck vs. concept drawing sets internet ablaze: 'I still can't believe this is a real vehicle'

As at least 1.5 million Tesla fans eagerly await their pre-ordered Cybertrucks, several aspects of the angular new vehicles are still up in the air, including their actual price and delivery date.

However, side-by-side comparisons show what the real-life, non-rendered versions of the Cybertrucks look like — and how they are reportedly not quite how they looked in concept drawings.

Actual photos of the Cybertruck, which has been spotted test driving around roads and on the backs of delivery vehicles, show a final product that is more boxy and less sleek than the images Tesla originally released. 

There is also the issue of the stainless steel exterior, which might look nice and shiny in theory but could make the cars "fingerprint and smudge magnets." The material is also reportedly absorbing damage in a highly noticeable way. 

Someone was asking me about fingerprints and smudges on Cybertruck. Here you go.

You'll have to either learn to live with this, or wrap it immediately 😄 pic.twitter.com/RKdXvCUM9c

— Mike - CyberOwners.com (@TeslaTruckClub) August 18, 2023

"Imperfections in the doors and other panels make the vehicle look like a rolling funhouse mirror — not exactly the uniform, space-age truck that was promised," Business Insider wrote of the trucks. "The effect was more pronounced in earlier Cybertruck photos, but it's still noticeable here, just weeks away from customer deliveries."

And then there is the issue of how the stainless steel panels fit together — apparently, not all that well in some cases. One viral photo of a Cybertruck on a delivery vehicle shows what appears to be duct tape covering one of the truck's panel gaps.

All of these factors, along with the already controversial aesthetic choices made around the Cybertruck, combine to form a final product that has left many internet commenters dumbfounded.

"I still can't believe this is a real vehicle that's really being produced," one Redditor wrote.

"My grandfather's tractor looks in better shape after a day in the fields," another added.

But for some Tesla fans, the Cybertruck remains exactly as promised.

"Brutalism is lovely," wrote one Tesla fan, commenting on a post about the truck's design on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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