RIP Cybertruck. You Were Unloved, Unwanted, and Utterly Absurd

Elon Musk, in a post on X, has officially called time on the Cybertruck, stating that “Tesla will be winding down production of the Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of next year to make room for increased Cybercab production.”

Produced for less than four years, the polarizing pickup is seemingly dying as it lived, with the news being greeted in a flurry of replies in praise of the EV as well as deriding it. James Star, claiming to be a Tesla employee, posted that it was “the saddest news! Cybertruck (was) the best car Tesla sold,” right next to a user called Captain Ford who simply replied to Musk with “Fuck that shitbox.”

Tesla has not responded to WIRED’s request for comment and clarification that the Cybertruck will no longer be made at all. The Cybertruck is exclusively made at Gigafactory Texas, as this is apparently the only Tesla facility equipped with the machinery required to manufacture the truck’s unique stainless steel body, which supposedly started to rust in some cases.

Despite whipping up a fevered number of reservations—allegedly more than a million according to Musk, who at the end of 2023 crowed that demand was “off the charts!”—the truck failed to sell, shifting less than 50,000 units in total by March last year.

EVWire cites Kelley Blue Book data suggesting that Tesla sold 11,586 Cybertrucks in the first three quarters of this year in the US, down 28 percent year-over-year, adding that Musk’s announcement post came about 80 minutes after Tesla raised US Cybertruck prices and paused new orders for the entry-level Dual-Motor AWD version.

The Cybertruck proved not only to be wildly unpopular, it was also beset by troubles before it even reached customers. In 2023, WIRED covered a leaked Tesla report dated January 25, 2022, that showed the Cybertruck had basic design flaws, and that the preproduction “alpha” version was struggling with problems with its suspension, body sealing, noise levels, handling, and braking.

In November 2019, when Musk stepped onto a stage in California to launch his new cyberpunk-styled electric pickup, he decided to demonstrate the strength of the “unbreakable” glass windows by hurling a steel ball at them. In what has now entered into public relations folklore, the demo truck’s windows smashed not once, but twice. Musk swore, then joked: “There’s room for improvement.”

There most certainly was. In April 2024, a recall was issued for the Cybertruck because its accelerator pedal pad could come loose and get trapped by interior trim, which had the frightening potential of pushing the car to full speed.