Tesla's Austin plant will stop building the Cybertruck by mid-2027 and hand that capacity to robotaxis
Sales of the steel pick-up fell far short of Elon Musk's expectations, and he wants to shift the freed-up capacity to the Cybercab.
Tesla will phase out Cybertruck production at its Texas factory around the middle of next year, chief executive Elon Musk wrote on X on Thursday evening, Fox Business reports. The freed-up capacity is to go to the Cybercab, the fully self-driving vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals. The Austin plant is the only one where the Cybertruck is built, and Musk did not say whether production would continue elsewhere, VRT NWS and Fox Business report.
According to Kelley Blue Book figures cited by Fox Business, Tesla sold 20,237 Cybertrucks in the US last year, 48 percent fewer than in 2024. VRT NWS estimates the total since the 2023 launch at around 70,000, far below the 250,000 a year Musk had predicted. The vehicle has been recalled eleven times since 2023 and, because of its design, is not allowed on public roads in several countries.
The Cybercab went into production this year. A small fleet has been carrying paying customers in Austin since September, with Dallas to follow next month, Fox Business writes. The US road safety agency NHTSA did open an audit into the vehicle's certification in September. Tesla shares lost almost 11 percent on Thursday in the wider tech sell-off and recovered somewhat on Friday, VRT NWS reports.