In brief: It seems that Tesla fans will be waiting a little longer before they can buy a Cybertruck. A new report states that initial production of the electric vehicle is no longer going to begin in 2022, and is now delayed to the end of Q1 2023.

According to Reuters, which cites a "person familiar with the matter," the delay is due to Tesla altering some features and functions of the Cybertruck in light of increased competition within the electric pickup market.

Lending credence to the report is Tesla's Cybertruck order page. It had stated that "You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in 2022." It now reads: "You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears."

There was plenty of excitement when Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck back in 2019. CEO Elon Musk told investors last year that Tesla might be able to complete some deliveries of the EV to customers before 2021 was out, but that never happened. Instead, we heard in September that the truck wouldn't go into production until late 2022. Now, that date has changed to next year.

While Reuters' source says the delay is due to design changes, it's hard to imagine that the global chip shortage didn't influence the decision in some way. Musk himself suggested in November that the crisis was impacting Cybertuck production. But with the Model 3 and Model Y selling so well, Tesla is unlikely to be concerned about its pickup being delayed.

Tesla previously said the cheapest Cybertruck would feature a single motor and rear-wheel drive and start at $39,000, though there are rumors that the model could be dropped. The flagship tri-motor version, meanwhile, is expected to be able to hit 60 mph from a stop in under three seconds, have a range of more than 500 miles per charge, and offer a towing capacity of more than 14,000 pounds.