New York [US], November 8: Tesla will wind down production of the Cybertruck at its Texas factory around the middle of 2027 to make room for its Cybercab robotaxi, chief executive Elon Musk said on Friday. Enthusiasts hailed the pickup as a symbol of Musk's futuristic ambitions, while critics came to associate it with his politics.
"Tesla will be winding down production of the Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of next year to make room for increased Cybercab production," Musk wrote on X. He did not say whether the truck would be built elsewhere or discontinued altogether, or what would happen to outstanding orders.
Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck's lead engineer, wrote in a separate post that the truck "was an incredible technology development platform and lives on through Cybercab." As fans lamented the news on X, the platform Musk owns, he reassured them that the Cybertruck fleet "will be around for a long time."
The truck came to be seen as an extension of Musk himself. Its image became entangled with his politics when he took on a high-profile role leading the Trump administration's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, and some owners reported vandalism and harassment.
The angular stainless-steel pickup was unveiled in November 2019, and Musk said at the time that it had drawn 250,000 preorders within days. Production was originally slated for 2021 but was repeatedly delayed, and customer deliveries began only in late 2023.
Tesla built its Texas lines with a planned capacity of 250,000 trucks a year, but sales came nowhere near that. Cox Automotive estimates total sales at just 72,702, more than half of them in 2024. As US demand slumped, Tesla began selling the truck abroad. Deliveries started in South Korea in November 2025 and in the United Arab Emirates in January. The truck has also faced multiple recalls and complaints over build quality.
"The decision to discontinue the Cybertruck highlights how difficult it can be to translate strong initial attention and enthusiasm around a new vehicle into sustainable mainstream demand," said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of industry insights at Cox Automotive. Tesla had seen the vehicle as a bid for the giant US pickup market, but it quickly became a "niche" product,she said.
The Cybercab is a two-seat vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals. It was unveiled in October 2024, entered production at the Texas plant in April, and began offering paid rides in Austin in September through Tesla's existing Robotaxiservice.
The robotaxi is central to Musk's effort to recast Tesla as an artificial intelligence and robotics company rather than a carmaker. Its success depends on delivering fully driverless technology, which Tesla has yet to demonstrate at scale.
Source: Qatar Tribune