In brief

• Tesla plans to end Cybertruck production at its Austin plant around mid-2027 to free capacity for the Cybercab robotaxi.
• Musk says the order backlog exceeds what can be built before the line closes, so some buyers will receive deposit refunds.
• Sales have been far below early expectations, with about 76,000 units delivered over three years according to Cox Automotive data.

Phase-out planned for mid-2027

Elon Musk said on Friday that Tesla will gradually end Cybertruck production at Gigafactory Texas in Austin around the middle of next year (Měl to být hit, je z toho Muskův propadák. Tesla ukončí výrobu Cybertrucku – Deník.cz) (Elon Musk says Tesla will have to return 'a lot' of Cybertruck deposits – Business Insider). In a post on X, he wrote that the move would free space and resources for higher output of the Cybercab, the two-seat, fully autonomous vehicle Tesla is building for robotaxi services (Конец истории? Илон Маск объявил о сворачивании производства Tesla Cybertruck – NV) (TechCrunch Mobility: The Cybertruck experiment is over – TechCrunch). The Austin plant is the only Tesla facility equipped to build the Cybertruck and its stainless steel body.

Refunds for some buyers

In a follow-up post on Monday, Musk said the order backlog far exceeds what Tesla can build before the line closes, which he put at about eight months away (Musk says Tesla will refund some Cybertruck deposits, defends decision to end production – TechCrunch). Tesla will try to build as many trucks as possible before then, he said, but will have to return deposits to many customers. It remains unclear how many orders are outstanding, and the company's website still appeared to accept orders.

Musk argued that the Cybertruck was not unprofitable. He said the opportunity cost of its production complexity was outweighed by the value of additional Cybercab output.

Sales well below expectations

The Cybertruck went on sale in late 2023, later than originally planned. Musk had said the truck drew more than 250,000 pre-orders at its 2019 unveiling (Tesla Hasn't Had a Successful New Product Launch Since JB Straubel Stepped Down – Hacker News). Cox Automotive data cited by Business Insider put total deliveries at roughly 76,000 units over three years. Other reporting put 2025 U.S. sales at about 20,000 units. A Hacker News repost of a widely shared analysis put R&D spending at about $2 billion and gross profit from sales at about $100 million, though those figures have not been independently verified.

Analysts have pointed to the angular design, a starting price near $92,490 in the U.S., and recalls and quality complaints as reasons for weak demand.

Battery and EV trend

The Cybertruck's planned end follows the cancellation of Ford's F-150 Lightning, another large electric pickup, late last year. Ford plans to launch a smaller electric pickup priced below $30,000 next year.

Context

The announcement came during a difficult week for Musk. Reuters reported that his political spending, close to half a billion dollars, produced limited results in the U.S. midterm elections, with most Republican candidates he backed losing.