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In a recent tweet, Elon Musk declared the official end of the Cybertruck, stating that “Tesla will progressively reduce Cybertruck production at the Texas Gigafactory by mid-next year to make way for increased production of the Cybercab.” This announcement sparked a torrent of responses, with opinions divided between praise and criticism for the electric vehicle. James Star, who claimed to be a Tesla employee, lamented it as “the saddest news!” asserting that the Cybertruck was the best vehicle Tesla had ever sold. In contrast, a user named Captain Ford bluntly responded to Musk with, “That piece of junk can go to hell.”
As of now, Tesla has not responded to requests for comment and has not clarified whether the Cybertruck will cease production entirely.
A Bittersweet Farewell
The Cybertruck is manufactured exclusively at the Texas Gigafactory, as it is the only Tesla facility equipped with the machinery necessary to produce the vehicle’s unique stainless steel body, which has reportedly begun to show signs of rust in some instances. Despite generating an astonishing number of reservations—reportedly over a million, according to Musk—who claimed that demand was “through the roof” by the end of 2023, the truck has struggled in terms of sales, with fewer than 50,000 units sold in total as of March last year.
Data from Kelley Blue Book, as cited by EVWire, indicates that Tesla sold just 11,586 Cybertrucks in the first three quarters of this year in the United States, marking a 28% decline compared to the previous year. Notably, Musk’s announcement came approximately 80 minutes after Tesla raised prices for the Cybertruck in the US and suspended new orders for the basic Dual-Motor AWD version.
Not only did the Cybertruck fail to resonate with the public, but it also faced a slew of issues even before reaching customers. In 2023, WIRED reported on a leaked Tesla memo dated January 25, 2022, which revealed fundamental design flaws in the Cybertruck, including problems with suspension, body sealing, noise levels, manoeuvrability, and braking in the pre-production “alpha” version.
Issues Pile Up
In November 2019, when Musk unveiled his new cyberpunk-style electric truck in California, he attempted to demonstrate the toughness of its “unbreakable” glass windows by throwing a steel ball at them. In a moment that has become a public relations fable, the demonstration vehicle’s windows shattered not once, but twice. Musk quipped, “There’s room for improvement.”
Fast forward to April 2024, when a recall was issued for the Cybertruck due to concerns that the accelerator pedal pad could detach and become trapped by the interior lining, posing a frightening risk of unintended acceleration. In March of the previous year, Tesla had to recall nearly all Cybertrucks manufactured up to that point because a stainless steel trim panel could detach while driving, a problem attributed to the use of an inadequate adhesive that needed replacing with a new “environmentally robust” glue.
By May of this year, Cybertrucks faced issues related to the application of an improper grease, which risked the wheels detaching. This marked the eleventh recall for the electric vehicle, and reports indicated that the Long Range Cybertruck with rear-wheel drive (RWD) could have defective brake discs. In a notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla stated that “the holes in the brake disc bolts may crack and allow the bolt to separate from the wheel hub,” posing a danger to RWD Cybertruck owners as they could suddenly find themselves impacted by their own wheels.
Attempts to Reignite Interest
Musk even attempted to persuade Donald Trump to purchase one of his Cybertrucks, setting up an impromptu Tesla showroom on the South Lawn of the White House. However, even the former president sensed something amiss and opted instead for a red Model S Plaid capable of reaching 200 mph, evidently impressed by its interior.
By the end of 2024, Karl Brauer, an executive analyst at the car ranking service iSeeCars, calculated that the six recall campaigns associated with the Cybertruck at that time made it “worse than 91% of all other vehicles of 2024.” Yet, despite its purported unreliability, the Cybertruck did manage to find a small but devoted audience. WIRED spoke to several owners last year, all of whom were passionately enamoured with their vehicles, although they often faced taunts and ridicule, sometimes being labelled as Nazis, possibly in reference to a gesture Musk made on stage in early 2025.
Shifting Focus to the Cybercab
Nevertheless, Musk insists that the decision to phase out the Cybertruck is not due to its lack of reliability or dismal popularity, but rather a desire to concentrate on the Cybercab, an autonomous electric vehicle that is pivotal to Tesla’s ambitions in the robotaxi sector, albeit with a rocky start. Currently operating solely in Austin, with a fleet numbering only in the hundreds, Musk appears keen to significantly ramp up production, having confirmed during an earnings conference that the first taxi rolled off the assembly line in February.
Musk considers the Cybercab to largely embody Tesla’s vision for the future. The CEO has even suggested that Tesla should no longer be viewed merely as a car manufacturer, but rather as a robotics and autonomous vehicle company. “The Cybertruck was an incredible technology development platform and lives on through the Cybercab,” stated Wes Morrill, chief engineer of the Cybertruck, on X.
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