Tesla is going to stop making the Cybertruck, and Elon Musk has a rather unusual explanation for the decision. The electric pickup apparently has more customers waiting to buy it than Tesla can keep up with, but the company is still planning to shut down its production line in about eight months. And a lot of people who have already placed deposits won’t even get their trucks.
In a post on X, Musk says the Cybertruck’s order rate far exceeds its production rate, and Tesla will try to manufacture as many as possible before calling it quits. The company will also have to return deposits to many customers, although Musk hasn’t revealed exactly how many orders are still pending. The Cybertruck only started reaching customers in late 2023, making its rather early retirement all the more surprising.
So, why is Tesla shutting it down?
According to Musk, the decision has nothing to do with the Cybertruck being unprofitable. The problem, apparently, is that the truck is too complicated to manufacture, and Tesla believes the same resources could be put to much better use elsewhere.
And that elsewhere is the Cybercab, Tesla’s autonomous robotaxi, which the company is now trying to manufacture in much larger numbers. Musk says the value of producing additional Cybercabs far outweighs the cost of continuing to build the Cybertruck.
Then we have the Texas factory, where Tesla reportedly plans to dismantle the Cybertruck production line around mid-2027 to make room for more Cybercabs. According to Reuters, the company will even add another production shift to finish more outstanding truck orders before then.
The sales numbers tell another story
Musk’s claims about massive demand are interesting, especially considering how poorly the Cybertruck has performed in the market. According to Kelley Blue Book, Tesla sold just 20,237 Cybertrucks in the US during 2025, a 48% decline from the previous year. And things haven’t improved much in 2026, with Cox Automotive estimating 11,586 sales through September, another 28% drop. Musk, at one point, had projected annual sales of around 250,000 vehicles.
Tesla hasn’t disclosed its current reservation backlog, so there’s no way to independently verify how many people are actually waiting for a Cybertruck. Interestingly, Ford has also discontinued the battery-electric F-150 Lightning, although an extended-range electric replacement with an onboard gasoline generator is planned. It seems the market for electric pickups isn’t turning out quite as automakers expected. For the Cybertruck, however, the decision has apparently been made. Tesla would rather build robotaxis.
