Elon Musk gives glimpse of Cybertruck at Tesla's new engineering headquarters

Futuristic electric vehicle with 'nearly impenetrable exoskeleton' is already delayed

People take pictures of the newly unveiled Cybertruck in 2019. The vehicle's release to the market in 2021 was delayed by at least two years. AFP

The Cybertruck was originally priced at $39,900 in 2019 - but inflationary prices have pushed other Tesla vehicles up in cost. AFP

Mr Musk stands in front of Cybertruck, after a metal ball was thrown at the windows to show how tough they are. Tesla / Reuters

Mr Musk discusses vehicle dimensions in front of the Cybertruck. AFP

The Tesla Cybertruck is unveiled at Tesla's design studio. AP

Elon Musk has shared footage of the Tesla Cybertruck as he looks to show consumers the fabled electric vehicle is close to becoming a reality.

The billionaire owner gave a glimpse of the futuristic SUV at the car maker's new engineering headquarters in Palo Alto, California — complete with disco surroundings and dance music.

Tesla has no shortage of products in the pipeline, including its Semi goods vehicle and Optimus robot.

But it is the blocky, unconventional vehicle with a "nearly impenetrable exoskeleton" and armoured glass that caught the public's imagination when it was first unveiled in 2019.

Since then, it and other Tesla vehicles have been delayed.

In October, Mr Musk said the company was in the “final lap” of work on the Cybertruck.

There has been much speculation over the price of the vehicle, which Mr Musk originally set the cost at $39,900. Since then, other Tesla vehicles have risen in price.

On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom joined Mr Musk in announcing the launch of the new headquarters, which is located in one of computer maker Hewlett Packard (HP)'s original locations.

Mr Newson called the launch “another proof point of the renewable energy vibrancy that is California”.

In an interview with CNBC, Mr Musk said: “This was HP’s original headquarters, and so I think it’s a poetic transition from the founders of Silicon Valley to Tesla and we’re very excited to make this our global engineering headquarters.”

Last week, Elon Musk appeared at the World Government Summit in Dubai to speak about his concerns over artificial intelligence, his search for a new Twitter boss - and why we're probably alone in the universe.