Elon Musk says Tesla is planning to make a pickup truck

This photo provided by Tesla shows the front of the new electric semitractor-trailer unveiled on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. The move fits with Tesla CEO Elon Musk's stated goal for the company of accelerating the shift to sustainable transportation. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/ / Tesla)

LONDON -- Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk says the electric car company will make a pickup truck after the release of its next model.

In a message on Twitter late Tuesday, Musk said: "I promise that we will make a pickup truck right after Model Y." The Model Y is an electric SUV that's due for release in about two years.

He said the pickup would probably be slightly bigger than a Ford F-150.

Musk, who had previously hinted that a pickup model was due, was responding to suggestions he had solicited through Twitter about what the company could improve.

Tesla has mainly focused on producing passenger cars over the past decade but has branched out in recent years. It plans to make electric semis and has invested in battery production.