Tesla will stop building the Cybertruck at its Texas gigafactory around the middle of next year, Chief Executive Elon Musk said Friday. The move would free up the plant for the company's Cybercab robotaxi as demand for the stainless steel pickup has slumped.
Musk made the announcement in a post on X, saying the wind-down at Gigafactory Texas would make room to build more Cybercabs. The two-seat robotaxi is already made at the same plant, alongside the Model Y, and Musk has promoted it as central to Tesla's future.
He did not say whether the truck would be built anywhere else. The Texas facility is the only known site where the Cybertruck is produced.
Later, a user on X called the news the end of an era and described the Cybertruck as the best vehicle Tesla had made. Musk agreed, adding that the trucks already on the road would remain in service for a long time.
The sales record explains the shift. Before launch, Musk predicted the truck would eventually sell about 250,000 a year. Cox Automotive estimated U.S. sales last year at 20,237, a 48% drop from 38,965 in 2024. Tesla does not report sales by model.
One major customer was Musk's own SpaceX, which paid $131 million for the trucks at Tesla's suggested retail price last year, according to a SpaceX financial filing.
The truck divided opinion from the start. At its 2019 unveiling, Musk tried to show off shatterproof windows, but metal balls thrown at the vehicle cracked two of them. Deliveries did not begin until late 2023.
The angular design later turned the Cybertruck into a symbol of opposition to Musk as he moved deeper into politics, including his brief leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration effort to cut the federal workforce and regulations. Some owners said they faced rude gestures and road rage.
Quality has also been a problem. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists 11 voluntary recalls for the 2024 model, covering a pedal that could become trapped and cause unintended acceleration, software defects, and an inverter fault that could cut drive power. The truck's specifications also fell short of what Tesla advertised early on.
The announcement follows Musk's spending of nearly half a billion dollars backing Republicans in the midterm elections, including more than $200 million for Ken Paxton's failed Senate bid in Texas. Democrats won control of the House and Senate, a shift that could open investigations into Musk's work with the federal government.
