Elon Musk's Tesla makes major decision on Cybertruck after years of poor sales
One of Elon Musk's most controversial creations is seemingly headed for the scrapheap.
The Tesla boss, 55, has announced that production of Cybertrucks will be 'wound down' from next year at its factory in Texas, seven years after it was first unveiled.
Musk famously broke its window while trying to prove how indestructible they were during this 2019 debut - which might have been a sign of things to come, in hindsight.
In a post on X shared on Friday (6 November), the billionaire said the Gigafactory Texas would start scaling back production of Cybertrucks 'around the middle of next year'.
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This will 'make room for increased Cybercab production', according to Musk. This is a two-seater that is a part of the Tesla Robotaxi fleet.
The Cybercab doesn't have a rear window, side mirrors, pedals, steering wheel or driver, but it does have 'butterfly doors and a large interactive touchscreen'.
Musk's company says 'you'll forget you're in a car' when you climb in it.
One person left saddened to hear the news of the phase out of Cybertrucks dubbed it the 'best vehicle Tesla has ever made', to which the SpaceX chief said: "True, but the Cybertruck fleet will be around for a long time."
Perhaps they will outlive us all, eh?
Tesla didn't confirm whether production of the Cybertruck would cease completely, but it appears to be the end of an era for the car which has been plagued by poor sales.
The divisive model hit the market in 2023 and Musk had estimated that he'd sell 250,000 of them a year.
But only 20,237 were taken off of Tesla's hands in the US in 2025, which followed 38,965 sales of the electric trucks in 2024, automotive data platform Kelley Blue Book found, as per Reuters.
The ex-CEO of Aston Martin, Andy Palmer, reckons dialling the production of Cybertrucks down is the logical thing for Musk to do, as it 'doesn't make sense to keep it going when it's not meeting its targets'.
"Every rational auto guy would say the same," he said. "It will no doubt only be a rounding error on Tesla's balance sheet, but the statistics speak for themselves."
The Cybertruck received a lot of flack from the get go - given its angular stainless steel design, its sheer weight, the cost and safety concerns surrounding them.
Musk described Cybertruck as a 'a bulletproof tank that moves like a million dollar sports car'
There were also several recalls since the model first went on sale due to some of the vehicles needing software updates and repairs.
Musk addressed some of these concerns in a post shared to X in May this year, which read: "Only when you drive the Cybertruck do you realise how incredible it is: a bulletproof tank that moves like a million dollar sports car!
"Reason for the angular shape is that the thick, ultra-hard stainless steel body panels cannot be stamped like the thin, feeble, paper-strength mild steel of other trucks.
"Cybertruck body panels would break 5,000 ton stamping machines."
The Cybertruck was never officially permitted to go on sale in the UK, although police seized one that was being unlawfully driven near Manchester in January last year.
Olivia Burke
