Tesla chief designer: Accidentally smashing Cybertruck windows was 'great marketing moment'

During the 2019 reveal of the Tesla Cybertruck, the company’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, threw steel balls at the truck to demonstrate its sturdiness, but instead shattered two windows. In an interview, von Holzhausen said the mishap became a “great marketing moment.” Tesla began selling T-shirts alluding to the accident, and CEO Elon Musk claimed the company saw 200,000 orders for Cybertrucks in the days following its launch.

Some may call Franz von Holzhausen’s accidental destruction of a Tesla Cybertruck window a blunder; von Holzhausen would prefer to call it a “great meme” instead.

During the 2019 reveal of the Tesla Cybertruck, von Holzhausen, the company’s chief designer, threw steel balls at the vehicle, intending to demonstrate the windows CEO Elon Musk that said were made of “armor glass” were indeed extra tough. The windows, however, unexpectedly shattered, leaving Musk to deliver the rest of his presentation of the new truck while standing in front of the damaged car. Tesla’s stock fell more than 5% the next day.

While the incident seemed like an omen, indicative of the Cybertruck being poised to fail, the botched demonstration actually opened up an opportunity to give the new model a spotlight, von Holzhausen said in an interview with Tesla Club Austria published earlier this year.

“It was just one of those Murphy’s Law kind of things where something bad happens, but it turned out to be a great meme,” von Holzhausen said, referring to the phenomenon of when something can go wrong, it usually will. “And I think in an odd sort of way—we don’t do marketing—but it turned into a great marketing moment.”

He added, “It was not an expected moment, but in that moment, you have to roll with it.”

Following the reveal of the vehicle, Musk posted a video on X of von Holzhausen throwing a steel ball at the model Cybertruck before its launch, with its windows withstanding the force of the throw with no visible damage. The video was viewed more than 6 million times within three days of its posting.

“Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha,” Musk wrote.

Days later, Musk touted the success of the Cybertruck launch, saying Tesla had received more than 200,000 orders for the vehicle. While Tesla does not break out Cybertruck numbers when it reports earnings, instead grouping them with the Model S and X, the company recalled nearly all of the Cybertrucks it had on the road earlier this year due to an issue in which an exterior panel could become detached, and that only tallied around 46,000 vehicles.

Bigger problems than broken windows

Despite Musk’s preorder optimism, Cybertruck’s inauspicious launch was a sign of things to come for the vehicle. Though Musk initially bragged the truck would retail at only $39,900 when it was expected to hit the market in late 2021, the Cybertruck faced years of delays, debuting in November 2023 with a price tag of $60,990.

Tesla tried to reclaim the shattered glass mishap with a $45 T-shirt sold on its website, but the brand was developing an otherwise soured reputation on other parts of the internet. In particular, concerns mounted over the security of the Cybertrucks, which saw numerous recalls as a result of a malfunctioning tire pressure monitoring system, among other issues—including the aforementioned recall of all 46,100 Cybertrucks ever delivered back in March.

To pile onto its troubles, multiple deaths have occurred following Cybertruck crashes. One wrongful death lawsuit alleged the truck had defective safety mechanisms after a man in Houston died in a crashed Cybertruck that burst into flames.

Safety concerns and recalls associated with the Cybertruck have coincided with faltering sales for the truck. The vehicle’s demand remained steady last year, but Cybertrucks were piling up in lots over the summer as dealerships navigate stockpiles of the unwanted vehicles.

Just 16,097 Cybertrucks were delivered in the first three quarters of this year, according to Cox Automotive data, a 38% year-over-year decrease, with the model being eclipsed by the beleaguered Ford F-150 Lightning, which is being discontinued in its all-electric form due to falling demand.

Sales of the Tesla truck have been so dire that the Musk-owned SpaceX has purchased 1,000 Cybertrucks from Tesla and may purchase up to 2,000 vehicles, Elektrek reported last week, citing an anonymous source. Earlier this year, another Musk-founded company, xAI, reportedly purchased unsold Cybertrucks.

Tesla did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

A version of this story was published at Fortune.com on Aug. 5, 2025.