By Maribel Velazquez
Aug 21, 2024, 5:48 PM EDT
In 2023, Tesla presented, amid severe criticism, strong criticism and astonishment, the Tesla Cybertruck, a truck with a futuristic design and innovative features that quickly caught the attention of car lovers.
Among car lovers, there was someone who, as soon as he saw the pickup truck in 2019, recognized that the vehicle had potential: that person is Dustin Liu.
The entrepreneur decided to invest in five Cybertruck units, with the idea of including them in his rental fleet, but he never imagined that Elon Musk’s cars would be a real gold mine.
Through the American platform Turo, better known as the Airbnb of cars, Liu offers to rent his vehicles, either by the hour or even by the day.
Today, Turo is considered one of the leading car rental sites, especially since the first Cybertruck units entered its catalog.
According to the American press, Liu invested half a million dollars to add five Cybertrucks to his rental fleet, a bet that quickly turned into money.
The entrepreneur not only has five Cybertrucks in his car catalog, but also has cars such as the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, several Mercedes, Range Rover, Corvette and Ford Mustang convertibles, among other brands that make up a total of 90 cars.
Luxury experience
Liu has revealed that his car business can earn him up to $200,000 a month.
But it was with the five Cybertrucks, which he bought for about $100,000 each, that Liu earned $120,000 in four months, so one of them has paid for itself in the short term.
Added to this benefit is the experience of the users, who feel like real television stars when they rent this van.
“All the comments have been extremely positive. People are saying, ‘Oh my God, you made my day. I’ve never felt like a celebrity, I feel like I’m the president.’”
It is known that, in the first phase, the rental of Cybertrucks in Tiro was up to 1,000 dollars per day, but with the arrival of more models, the price dropped, now the rental is 254 dollars per day, although with expenses and taxes the bill can easily reach 500 dollars.
“I knew the Cybertruck was going to make me money – it’s not a regular car. People rent on Turo for the luxury and the experience, and the Cybertruck offers both of those things,” Liu said.
Despite Liu’s account having several zeros, the entrepreneur is looking to generate more money through 20 more units, which he has reserved, but in the mid-range range, which according to the owner of the Tesla brand, Elon Musk, would be available for around $61,000, but the offer has been removed from the company’s catalogue.
Despite the changes that have been made at the company, Liu does not rule out continuing to invest in Tesla.