Cars That Look Like the Cybertruck

In late 2019, Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck, an electric pickup with a radically futuristic and angular design that immediately made waves in the automotive world. Its sharp-edged, geometric form looked like nothing else on the road, drawing comparisons to science fiction vehicles and sparking countless discussions about its bold aesthetic.

The Cybertruck’s design was polarizing, but it undeniably set a new tone, influencing designers and automakers to reconsider conventional car styling. From retro sports cars to modern prototypes, there are now several cars that look like the Cybertruck, as Tesla’s stainless steel exoskeleton and polygonal shape have inspired other vehicles that echo its avant-garde style.

The Cybertruck’s reveal was more than just a new vehicle launch; it was a statement that automotive design can still surprise the public. In an era when many trucks share a familiar, conservative outline, Tesla’s creation showed that breaking the mold can generate massive buzz and even reshape expectations of what a pickup truck can look like.

The Cybertruck’s Radical Design and Its Influence

For decades, car design had been trending towards smoother curves and aerodynamic softness, making the Cybertruck’s stark angles a shocking departure from the norm. Tesla’s electric pickup is characterized by flat steel panels, a wedge-like profile, and a silhouette reminiscent of retro science fiction concept art, allowing it to immediately stand out in an industry filled with lookalike SUVs and trucks.

The influence of the Cybertruck’s design has extended beyond the initial buzz. It has encouraged both established automakers and startups to experiment with more daring lines and geometric shapes.

Elon Musk even cited cyberpunk science fiction inspirations like the film Blade Runner when discussing the Cybertruck’s style. This deliberate infusion of a dystopian, sci-fi aesthetic into a consumer truck gave it cultural relevance beyond just the auto industry, making it a topic of conversation in design and tech circles alike.

Futuristic and Angular Aesthetics in Car Design

Angular, geometric car designs have appeared periodically throughout automotive history, often symbolizing a futuristic or cutting-edge vision of the future. The Cybertruck revived this “low-poly” style of design, evoking memories of 1970s and 1980s concept cars that embraced sharp edges and flat surfaces to look like vehicles from tomorrow.

In the 1970s, designers like Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini introduced wedge-shaped supercars that similarly broke away from rounded norms. Cars such as the Lamborghini Countach and Lotus Esprit were early examples of this angular approach, proving decades ago that bold geometry could captivate the public imagination much like the Cybertruck does today.

These earlier forays into angular styling were often limited to exotic sports cars or radical concept vehicles rather than everyday family cars. The Cybertruck has broken that barrier by applying a similar futuristic design language to a practical, mass-market pickup, effectively bridging the gap between concept car extravagance and consumer reality.

Production Cars with Cybertruck-Like Styling

DeLorean DMC-12: A Stainless Steel Pioneer

One vehicle that shares similarities with the Cybertruck is the DeLorean DMC-12, the famed 1980s sports car known for its stainless steel body and angular form. This iconic car features unpainted steel panels and a wedge-shaped profile, mirroring the geometric aesthetic that Tesla later embraced with its electric pickup.

Both the DeLorean and the Cybertruck share a stainless steel exterior that forgoes paint and emphasizes raw metal, giving them an unorthodox, utilitarian appearance. The flat panels and sharp lines of the DeLorean’s Italdesign body make it look like a direct ancestor to the Cybertruck’s polygonal design philosophy.

The DMC-12’s pop culture fame, bolstered by its role in the film Back to the Future, has kept it in the spotlight as a symbol of retro-futurism. Its enduring recognition shows how a bold design can transcend decades, something Tesla might be aiming for with the Cybertruck’s instantly recognizable shape.

Lamborghini Countach: The Classic Angular Supercar

The Lamborghini Countach, unveiled in the 1970s, was one of the first production supercars to fully embrace an extreme angular, wedge-shaped design. Its low, trapezoidal profile and sharp creases stunned the automotive world decades ago, and those same design themes can be seen reflected in the futuristic angles of the Cybertruck.

Though the Countach is a sleek Italian sports car and the Cybertruck a bulky American pickup, both vehicles exude a similar sci-fi vibe with their radical proportions and dramatic surfaces. The Countach’s influence on car design paved the way for daring shapes, and the Cybertruck takes that legacy in a new direction by applying it to a completely different kind of vehicle.

Decades later, Lamborghini even paid homage to the Countach with a modern limited-edition revival, highlighting how influential that angular design remains. This underlines that even in an era of sleek, computer-sculpted exteriors, the appeal of an aggressive wedge shape still resonates, paving the way for the Cybertruck’s outlandish form to be taken seriously in its own time.

Lotus Esprit: Wedge Design from the ’70s

Lotus debuted the Esprit in 1976 with a distinctive wedge shape penned by designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, an aesthetic that resonates with the Cybertruck’s geometric form. The Esprit’s sharp nose, straight lines, and flat surfaces were cutting-edge at the time, and they mirror the same sense of futurism that the Cybertruck brought back into the spotlight decades later.

While the Lotus Esprit was a low-slung sports car — famously capable of turning into a submarine in a James Bond film — its angular lines share a philosophy with Tesla’s pickup. Both vehicles demonstrate how a bold, triangular silhouette can become iconic and signal a break from the traditional curves dominating other cars of their eras.

Giugiaro’s “folded paper” design approach that gave birth to the Esprit made the car look like an origami creation on wheels. The Cybertruck can be seen as a modern continuation of that concept, essentially bringing an origami-inspired form into the twenty-first century automotive market.

Aston Martin Lagonda: Futuristic Luxury Sedan

The Aston Martin Lagonda sedan from the late 1970s took angular design to a new level in the luxury segment, featuring a stretched, ultra-low body with crisp lines and sharp corners. It looked like a futuristic concept car made real, much like how the Cybertruck gives off a concept-like vibe with its seemingly implausible shape appearing on public roads.

With its pop-up headlights, flat hood, and knife-edge fenders, the Lagonda was a dramatic departure from the classic curves of its time. Similarly, the Cybertruck’s unorthodox profile redefines what consumers expect from a pickup, echoing the Lagonda’s daring rejection of conventional design language even as it serves a completely different market segment.

The Lagonda also boasted a cutting-edge digital dashboard and advanced electronics that were ahead of its time, underlining the car’s futuristic theme inside and out. This parallels the Cybertruck’s approach of combining radical exterior styling with equally forward-thinking technology and performance, proving that a bold design can go hand-in-hand with innovation beneath the surface.

Vector W8: An Aerospace-Inspired Wedge

The Vector W8, an American supercar from the late 1980s, embodied the pinnacle of angular design with its aircraft-inspired aesthetics and abundance of straight lines. Its faceted body panels and origami-like construction gave it a look that wouldn’t be out of place next to the Cybertruck’s polygonal façade, despite being a low-slung sports coupe.

The W8 was built with aerospace materials and a focus on flat planes, paralleling the Cybertruck’s exoskeleton approach of using aerospace-grade stainless steel for its body. This shared emphasis on geometry over smooth curves creates a link between the two vehicles, even though they were built in different eras for very different purposes.

Only a handful of Vector W8s were ever produced, but the car achieved a cult status due to its video game-like looks and incredible performance for the time. Such niche success stories prove that radical designs can find passionate fans, something Tesla has managed on a much larger scale with its mass-market Cybertruck.

Bollinger B1 and B2: Brutalist Electric Off-Roaders

The Bollinger B1 (SUV) and B2 (pickup) are modern electric trucks that share the Cybertruck’s love for straight lines and flat surfaces. These vehicles feature a no-frills, boxy exterior that recalls utilitarian military vehicles, aligning with the brutalist aesthetic that the Cybertruck has popularized in the electric vehicle market.

With their squared-off edges and flat body panels, the Bollinger twins appear almost as if they were carved from a solid block of metal, similar to the Cybertruck’s unified exoskeleton look. They show how minimalist geometry can be applied to off-road capable EVs, appealing to those drawn to the Cybertruck’s radical styling but delivered in a more classic 4x4 shape.

Bollinger’s ambitious design has faced challenges in reaching production, highlighting how difficult it can be for a startup to bring an angular, hand-built aesthetic to mass production. Their journey illustrates that while eye-catching angles and flat panels excite enthusiasts and evoke the Cybertruck’s vibe, the practical realities of manufacturing and funding ultimately determine if such vehicles hit the road.

Concept Cars and Prototypes Echoing the Cybertruck’s Design

Atlis XT: Cybertruck-Inspired Electric Pickup

Startup automaker Atlis unveiled the XT electric pickup prototype with a design clearly influenced by the Cybertruck’s geometric lines. The Atlis XT incorporates an angular body and a distinctive sloping hood for improved aerodynamics, strongly echoing the wedge-like front end that makes Tesla’s truck instantly recognizable.

By adopting a sharp, chiseled look, the Atlis XT demonstrates how a new entrant can ride the wave created by the Cybertruck’s design revolution. Its creators embraced flat surfaces and modern proportions in hopes of attracting the same attention and forward-thinking buyers who were captivated by Tesla’s bold approach to truck design.

Atlis also touted futuristic specs for the XT — such as fast charging and massive towing capacity — to compete directly with Tesla, wrapping those promises in its striking design. Whether the XT reaches full production or not, its development shows how the Cybertruck has pushed startups to innovate both aesthetically and technologically to make a mark in the EV truck segment.

Dongfeng’s Cybertruck-Inspired Pickup Concept

Even established manufacturers overseas have taken note of the Cybertruck’s styling; for instance, Chinese automaker Dongfeng revealed a concept pickup that looks strikingly similar to Tesla’s design. This prototype features the same kind of angular, bare-metal-looking body and even included accessories like a built-in camper tent, showing just how literally Tesla’s design cues have been adopted.

Dongfeng’s concept demonstrates the global impact of Tesla’s design, essentially creating a template for a futuristic electric pickup that others feel compelled to follow. While it might never enter production as it appeared, the very existence of this Cybertruck lookalike underscores how compelling Tesla’s design has been worldwide, inspiring even government-owned automakers to explore a similar aesthetic.

China’s auto industry is known for rapidly iterating on global trends, and the quick emergence of a Cybertruck clone at a Chinese auto show signifies how much buzz Tesla’s truck has created. It also highlights an interesting dynamic: the Cybertruck’s design is so distinctive that a copy can be recognized instantly, proving the strength of the original’s identity.

Lancia Stratos Zero: A Radical Wedge Predecessor

Decades before the Cybertruck, the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero concept embodied extreme angular design with its ultra-flat, triangular wedge form. Its bronze-colored body was so low and sharp that it barely looked street-legal, an experimental aesthetic that in retrospect feels like a forebear to the kind of radical geometry now seen in Tesla’s pickup.

The Stratos Zero showed just how far designers could push the envelope with flat panels and dramatic angles, long before computer modeling made such designs easier to visualize. In many ways, it can be seen as a spiritual predecessor to today’s Cybertruck, proving that bold design ideas can resurface and find new life in modern vehicles.

This concept was influential in shaping the design of the production Lancia Stratos sports car (albeit in toned-down form) and remains a favorite in automotive design history. The trajectory from a wild concept like the Stratos Zero to influencing actual cars is similar to the Cybertruck’s journey from a radical showpiece to a production vehicle, each expanding the boundaries of what a car can look like.

Ferrari 512S Modulo: Space-Age Geometry

Another futuristic creation, the Ferrari 512S Modulo from 1970, showcased a spaceship-like design with an abundance of geometric shapes and a canopy-style sliding roof. Its low, disc-like body and covered wheels were incredibly avant-garde, reflecting a fascination with flat surfaces and symmetry that we see echoed in the Cybertruck’s ultramodern profile.

While the Modulo remained a one-off show car never intended for production, its influence on creative car design is legendary and continues to inspire designers. The Cybertruck, by bringing an equally unconventional shape to reality, fulfills the daring promise of concepts like the Modulo by putting a bold geometric form onto public roads for everyday use.

In recent years, the Modulo was restored to running condition, allowing a new generation to marvel at its design as it drives. Such enduring fascination with pure geometric forms explains why the Cybertruck, as polarizing as it first appeared, has captured attention — the truck is part of a long tradition of turning science fiction-like ideas into tangible vehicles.

Challenges of Manufacturing Geometric Designs

Designing a vehicle with flat planes and sharp angles like the Cybertruck is not just an aesthetic exercise but also a manufacturing challenge. Unlike conventional cars with smoothly curved panels that can be easily stamped from thin sheet metal, the Cybertruck’s body uses thick stainless steel that must be cold-rolled and bent into shape, pushing the limits of current factory tooling and techniques.

Vehicles with similar geometric shapes face unique production obstacles that require inventive engineering solutions. These flat surfaces leave little room to hide flaws; even small misalignments or imperfections are immediately obvious, which means precision in cutting, welding and assembly must be extremely high to maintain the design’s clean, planar look.

Tesla reportedly invested in specialized equipment, including ultra-powerful presses and new casting methods, to handle the Cybertruck’s unconventional exoskeleton construction. This commitment illustrates the lengths automakers must go to bring such radical designs to life, ensuring that the futuristic style does not compromise structural integrity or producibility.

Other automakers toying with angular designs have considered alternative materials or fabrication techniques to avoid these pitfalls. Some have used aluminum or composite panels that are easier to mold into straight-edged forms, while others keep the production volume low, treating these edgy models as niche products where hand-built elements and higher costs are more acceptable.

Safety regulations also pose a challenge for geometric vehicle designs, as engineers must ensure that the hard angles do not endanger pedestrians or passengers in a crash. Solutions include subtly softening the sharpest edges and integrating crumple zones in clever ways, so that even a truck that looks like an armored vehicle can still absorb impact forces and meet safety standards.

Interestingly, Tesla’s approach with the Cybertruck flips the traditional manufacturing script: instead of design being constrained by manufacturing, they pushed manufacturing to accommodate the design. This bold strategy has prompted some industry soul-searching, as other companies watch Tesla tackle problems that could unlock new possibilities in how vehicles are designed and built moving forward.

Impact on the Automotive Industry and Consumer Perception

The Cybertruck’s bold design has had a ripple effect across the automotive industry, influencing how companies approach innovation in vehicle styling. It proved that an automaker can garner massive public interest and pre-orders largely through the sheer shock value of design, which has pushed competitors to consider stepping outside their comfort zones when crafting concept vehicles and future models.

We see an increasing willingness among manufacturers to experiment with edgier designs in the electric vehicle era, partly because Tesla demonstrated that there is a market for the unconventional. This influence extends beyond pickup trucks; even sports car and SUV concepts are now more likely to feature planar surfaces or cyberpunk-inspired elements, as designers feel emboldened to take risks in the post-Cybertruck world.

Consumer perception of Cybertruck-like designs has evolved from initial skepticism to genuine excitement in many quarters. While some people first mocked the Cybertruck’s unorthodox look on social media, the growing anticipation and hundreds of thousands of pre-orders for it showed that a significant segment of buyers actively craves something different and futuristic in their driveway.

This indicates that consumers are open to breaking from tradition, at least within certain segments, especially if the vehicle’s performance and functionality meet expectations. In fact, the Cybertruck’s fan base treats the vehicle almost like a pop culture phenomenon, suggesting that distinctive styling can become a strong selling point and create a community of enthusiasts, much like sports cars have done for years.

Legacy automakers have certainly taken note of this shift in perception, realizing that playing it safe might not always be the best strategy to generate buzz in the EV age. However, they also see that there is a fine balance to strike: a design too far ahead of its time can alienate conservative buyers, so companies are weighing how to incorporate just enough futuristic flair without jeopardizing broad appeal.

The mixed reactions to these angular designs have ultimately provided valuable lessons to the industry about innovation and adaptability. Car companies now know that while bold designs carry risk, they also offer the reward of free publicity and passionate customer engagement, which is why we are likely to keep seeing Cybertruck-inspired elements popping up in new vehicles.

The Cybertruck essentially became a viral marketing success before it even hit the streets, creating a level of brand buzz typically reserved for tech gadgets or blockbuster movies. Observing this, other automakers are learning that generating excitement with daring design can be nearly as crucial as the vehicle’s features, a strategy that could influence how future cars and trucks are unveiled to the public.

The Future of Geometric and Unconventional Car Designs

Looking ahead, the success or failure of Cybertruck-like vehicles will influence the trajectory of automotive design in the coming years. If the Cybertruck proves popular and performs well on the roads, it could usher in an era where more manufacturers take bolder design risks, potentially leading to a renaissance of geometric styling across vehicle segments.

Advancements in manufacturing technology, such as 3D printing and improved metal forming techniques, may also make it easier to bring angular designs to market. As these processes evolve and become cost-effective, automakers might be more willing to experiment with unconventional shapes, knowing they can overcome some of the production challenges that today make such designs difficult to mass-produce.

The shift to electric drivetrains and even autonomous vehicle technology frees designers from many traditional constraints, possibly paving the way for more radical exteriors. Without a bulky engine or transmission to accommodate, future vehicles can adopt novel proportions and layouts, which could result in more Cybertruck-like silhouettes or entirely new aesthetics we have yet to imagine.

On the other hand, it’s possible that the Cybertruck remains a unique case and that most mainstream models will continue to evolve more conservatively for broad market appeal. The future likely holds a mix of design philosophies, with some niche models flaunting bold geometric looks while mass-market cars refine established styles to woo a wider audience.

What’s certain is that geometric and unconventional car designs will continue to appear in concept form, as they allow designers to stretch boundaries and showcase vision without immediate commercial pressures. The real test will be how many of those striking concepts break into production and how warmly consumers embrace them, following the path that the Cybertruck has begun to blaze.

If car buyers continue to show enthusiasm for novel designs, manufacturers may invest more in the research and development of materials and production techniques to support those designs. Such investments could have broader benefits, potentially leading to innovations that improve all vehicles, while also making it more feasible for wild concepts to transition from show floor to showroom.

Conclusion

The Tesla Cybertruck has not only introduced a radical design of its own but also shined a spotlight on a style that was once uncommon on public roads. From inspiring new electric pickup prototypes around the world to evoking memories of past wedge-shaped icons, its influence can be felt throughout the automotive design landscape.

As more cars that look like the Cybertruck make their debut — be it in showrooms or as bold concepts — one thing is clear: daring design is back at the forefront of automotive conversation. Whether this trend becomes a defining chapter in car design history or simply a memorable experiment will depend on how automakers and consumers alike navigate the balance between innovation and acceptance in the years ahead.