Remember when Elon Musk expected the Cybertruck to move about 250,000 units every year? Things didn’t go according to plan, and the stainless steel pickup is now heading for the exit. Musk confirmed in a tweet that Tesla will wrap up Cybertruck production at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of next year and hand that floor space over to the Cybercab.
How did the Cybertruck fall so short?
The hype was enormous when early buyers got their keys in late 2023. Tesla was so confident in the truck that it called the Texas plant the “Cybertruck factory” before a single wall went up. Reality had other ideas. In three years on the market, total sales have only reached approximately 70,000 units, which is a fraction of what Musk had promised for a single year.
The car’s decisive design and several quality control issues played a big part in its failure, and finally Tesla has decided to sunset it.
Why are robotaxis getting the spotlight?
Tesla is betting its future on AI and robotics, and driverless taxis sit at the center of that bet. Cybercabs have spent roughly two months carrying riders around Austin without any serious trouble, which has given Tesla the confidence to grow.
The Cybertruck isn’t the only one on the chopping block, either. The Model S and Model X were retired earlier this year, and their production lines now belong to Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot.
Both the Tesla Model S and Model X were hugely popular cars, so it’s clear that sales aren’t the only factor guiding Musk’s decision. Tesla no longer seems to be a consumer car company.
The vision has shifted to robots and robotaxis, which Musk clearly believes is the future. Whether that’s true or not, only time will tell.