Simone Giertz Builds Custom Tesla Pickup Ahead of Carmaker's Release
Simone Giertz
Tired of waiting for Tesla to enter the utility market, maker Simone Giertz constructed a custom electric truck to argue consumers must build the vehicles automakers fail to provide.
AI-assisted summary of TRUCKLA: The world's first Tesla pickup truck — original source. Check the original for full context.
Source published:
Key ideas
- Simone Giertz revealed 'Truckla', a custom-built Tesla pickup truck created because an official model was not yet commercially available. (0:02)
- The project is presented as a high-end cinematic car commercial satirizing standard automotive advertising tropes. (0:02)
- The custom electric conversion highlights both performance through sharp turns and practical utility with an open truck bed. (0:35)
- The faux commercial concludes with the punchline that the 2019 Truckla is 'available nowhere.' (0:35)
Detailed notes
## Background Published on YouTube by Simone Giertz on June 18, 2019, this video serves as a faux car commercial for "Truckla," a custom Tesla pickup truck. According to the description, Giertz got tired of waiting for Tesla to release an official electric pickup and assembled a team of collaborators to build her own.
## TL;DR Framed as a sleek, dramatic automotive advertisement, the video introduces the world to "Truckla," the world's first Tesla pickup truck. The narration emphasizes personal agency and engineering ambition, arguing that when the market fails to produce what you want, you must step up and build it yourself. As the vehicle navigates winding roads and scenic landscapes, the commercial spotlights its handling, utility, and electric power before concluding with the punchline that the 2019 Truckla is commercially "available nowhere."
## Atmosphere & style The video delivers a deadpan, pitch-perfect parody of a grandiose, high-budget car commercial, complete with cinematic pacing, sweeping landscape shots, and an authoritative voiceover. Beneath its sleek, earnest corporate exterior lies a rebellious and celebratory DIY maker ethos. The tonal arc moves from dramatic, inspirational rhetoric about forging one's own path to a crisp, understated comedic finish.
## Bulletin - [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) Simone Giertz revealed 'Truckla', a custom-built Tesla pickup truck created because an official model was not yet commercially available. - [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) The project is presented as a high-end cinematic car commercial satirizing standard automotive advertising tropes. - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=35s) The custom electric conversion highlights both performance through sharp turns and practical utility with an open truck bed. - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=35s) The faux commercial concludes with the punchline that the 2019 Truckla is 'available nowhere.'
## Key takeaways - [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) Simone Giertz created Truckla out of impatience for Tesla to release an official electric pickup truck. - [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) The video parodies the dramatic, sweeping tone typical of luxury automotive television commercials. - [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) The narration frames Truckla as the dawn of a new beginning and the vehicle the world did not know it was waiting for. - [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) The commercial contrasts vehicles relying on existing paved roads with those daring to pave their own path. - [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) The project embodies a DIY philosophy: taking personal initiative to build what you want when it does not exist in the market. - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=35s) The voiceover incorporates electric-vehicle wordplay, urging viewers to 'take charge' and leave a mark rather than just a footprint. - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=35s) The vehicle is highlighted as being engineered to handle dynamic turns while safely securing rear cargo. - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=35s) The ad culminates in the comedic disclaimer that the 2019 Truckla is available nowhere.
## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) The Reveal: Introducing Truckla
Set to the dramatic, cinematic cadence of a high-end automotive television commercial, the presentation introduces a vehicle designed to disrupt conventions: “It's here, the truck the world didn't know it was waiting for. It's the dawn of a new beginning.” The narration contrasts ordinary trucks that remain confined to established pathways with one that dares to forge a distinct direction, declaring, “Some trucks rely on roads already paved; some choose to pave their own.”
Emphasizing self-reliance and innovation in the face of market absence, the commercial frames the vehicle not merely as utility transport, but as a philosophy of personal agency and engineering ambition. When the market fails to deliver what is needed, creators must take the initiative themselves: “Push past conventions, empower yourself beyond what's possible, and if the thing you want doesn't exist yet, you step up and make your own.”
- Core philosophy: Rejecting conventional boundaries when commercial options fall short. - Thematic contrast: Navigating established roads versus carving an entirely independent path.
[00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=35s) Redefining the Pickup: Engineering, Power, and Availability
Building toward its climax, the voiceover highlights the vehicle's dual focus on electric performance and everyday utility, asking rhetorically, “Why just leave a footprint when you can leave your mark?” As the truck powers through sweeping landscapes and curves, the spot frames its custom electric conversion as both dynamic and dependable: “The power is in your hands to take charge, engineered to embrace every turn while safely guarding what matters most.”
The ad concludes by granting the driver complete autonomy over their journey with the line, “You choose where the road leads.” It then delivers the final, tongue-in-cheek punchline for the custom DIY Tesla pickup: “The new 2019 Truckla: available nowhere.”
- Performance highlights: Agile handling through sharp turns paired with secure cargo capacity. - Environmental subtext: Playing on electric driving idioms with lines like “take charge” and leaving a mark rather than an environmental footprint. - Commercial punchline: Branded specifically as the 2019 Truckla, accompanied by the disclaimer that it is commercially unavailable.
## Notable quotes > [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg&t=2s) Push past conventions, empower yourself beyond what's possible, and if the thing you want doesn't exist yet, you step up and make your own.
## Mentioned Simone Giertz, Tesla, Truckla, Marcos Ramirez, Laura Kampf, Rich Rebuilds, Ryan Kalb, Jacquelyn Marker, Rose Kang, Jackie Grieff, Scott Sorensen, Will Nail, Yvette Solis, Ross Huber, Nathan Azhderian, Asa Martinez, Zack Wright, Elon Musk
## Video description I got tired of waiting for Tesla to release their pickup truck, so I made my own. And I named it Truckla. WATCH HOW WE BUILT IT: https://youtu.be/jKv_N0IDS2A
Awarded Best Fake Truck of 2019 "In a class of its own. Not a great class, but definitely its own" - Road & Smack “It looks great sweetie” - My parents
Get your very own Truckla t-shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/simone-giertz-store
Patreon supporters get 20% off merch! We're also giving away keychains made out of Truckla: https://www.patreon.com/simonegiertz
It truly took a village to make this project happen. You should hire/follow all these people because they’re smart and skilled and funny too:
Marcos Ramirez
Laura Kampf: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRix1GJvSBNDpEFY561eSzw
Rich Rebuilds: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfV0_wbjG8KJADuZT2ct4SA
Ryan Kalb, build team: https://www.instagram.com/ryanmaxkalb/
Jacquelyn Marker, director: http://www.jacquelynmarker.com/
Rose Kang, editor for the Truckla commercial: https://www.rosekang.com/
Jackie Grieff, editor for the Truckla build video: https://www.instagram.com/oxymoronic_misanthrope/
Scott Sorensen, camera operator: http://www.scott-sorensen.com/
Will Nail, camera operator: http://www.willnail.com
Yvette Solis, preproduction, director: http://www.yvettesolis.com/
Ross Huber, mechanical engineer: https://www.hubercad.com/
Nathan Azhderian, build team: https://www.instagram.com/second_nathan/
Asa Martinez, drone operator: http://www.asamartinez.com/
Zack Wright, sound mix: https://zwrightsound.com/
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P.S. Want to help finish Truckla? We would love to get more collaborators on board! Our current to-do list: waterproofing, putting in bedliner, doing body work, paint etc etc. Send us an email at apply@thebrag.media
P.P.S. This video is not sponsored by Tesla. But, if anyone knows Elon, tell him I say hi.
[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg)