Tesla will stop making the Cybertruck, the stainless-steel pickup that drew both fans and ridicule for its science-fiction looks. Chief executive Elon Musk said in a short post on X on Friday that production "will be winding down" around the middle of 2027 at the company's factory outside Austin, Texas, The Indian Express reported, carrying an AP report.
Musk said the move would make room for increased production of the Cybercab, Tesla's two-seat self-driving taxi with no steering wheel or pedals. Tesla's shares rose 4.7% on Friday after the announcement, CBS News reported.
It is not clear whether the truck will be made anywhere else, though that appears unlikely: the Texas plant is the only one that currently builds it, CBS reported, citing Forbes.
The numbers behind it
Musk once forecast that Tesla would make 250,000 Cybertrucks a year. Tesla sold 20,237 in 2025, down from 38,965 the year before, CBS reported, citing Kelley Blue Book. Sales in the first nine months of this year were down another 28%, according to AP.
The truck first sold for $60,990, CBS reported; AP noted that Musk's promise of a price under $40,000 went unmet. It also faced several recalls, over issues including its rear-view camera and pedals.
From launch stunt to political symbol
The Cybertruck was unveiled in 2019, when a Tesla designer threw a metal ball at its supposedly unbreakable windows, and shattered two of them. It later became a flashpoint in the debate over Musk's role in the Trump administration, and some protesters vandalised Cybertrucks at Tesla dealerships, CBS reported.
What next
Tesla began producing the Cybercab at the Texas plant in April and started its service in Austin in September, CBS reported. Analyst Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives & Co told CBS that "the writing was on the wall" for the Cybertruck given its high price and weak demand, and that Musk is now focused on robotics and robotaxis.