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Elon Musk announces end of Cybertruck production as sales continue to plummet

The truck's estimated annual sales pace stands at about 30,000 vehicles.

A Cybercab dashboard.

Photo Credit: iStock

Tesla's angular electric pickup has failed to find the sales success the company envisioned. After a big initial splash, Cybertruck production is winding down not with a bang but with a whimper.

Here's what to know

Gigafactory Texas will stop building the Cybertruck around mid-2027, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on his X account (@elonmusk), as reported by Electrek.

According to the outlet, the truck's estimated annual sales pace stands at about 30,000 vehicles, compared with the 250,000 per year Tesla designed its production line to build.

The pickup's manufacturing run will span approximately three-and-a-half years from its first deliveries. In his post, Musk attributed the shutdown to a need for space to build more Cybercabs.

Tesla reported 8,295 deliveries in its "Other Models" category for the third quarter of 2026, a 48% year-over-year drop that brought the category to its lowest level since the second quarter of 2021.

The Semi, Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck are grouped together in that reporting category. With production of both Model S and Model X having stopped in April 2026, Electrek estimated that Cybertrucks accounted for 7,000 to 8,000 of those quarterly deliveries.

"No need to panic just because they have discontinued three vehicles and the last successful vehicle they launched was the Model Y in early 2020," a commenter said.

More background

Cox Automotive estimated that 3,519 Cybertrucks were sold in the United States in the first quarter of 2026, followed by 3,744 in the second quarter, compared with 14,416 in the third quarter of 2024.

According to S&P Global Mobility data cited by Electrek, SpaceX bought 1,279 Cybertrucks in the fourth quarter of 2025. Musk's companies collectively purchased 1,339, representing about 19% of U.S. registrations that quarter.

For current owners, the shutdown's implications for parts and service remain unexplained by Tesla. Prospective buyers also lack a company-announced timeline for how long the remaining Cybertruck inventory will stay on sale.

What's being done?

A more affordable dual-motor trim followed Tesla's brief attempt to sell a cheaper rear-wheel-drive version, which it introduced in 2025 and discontinued, according to Electrek.

Those efforts were followed by a $5,000 price increase in August 2026. The dual-motor model starts at $74,990.

Electrek viewed the Texas Gigafactory's size and the underused Cybertruck line as reasons to doubt Tesla's explanation that it needed to free up space.

"Most of it is sitting idle," the publication argued. "The Cybercab also isn't at a volume where it's fighting anyone for floor space."

Tesla's shareholder letter lists installed Cybertruck production capacity above 125,000 vehicles annually, substantially more than the estimated sales pace. According to Tesla's own figures, Gigafactory Texas contains over 10 million square feet of manufacturing space.

Commenters on Electrek had a snarky reaction to the news.

"Elon Musk is a man of his word," one mused. "When he said Tesla is no longer a car company, he meant it."

"In addition to the billions wasted on tooling, let's not forget the $50 that went into designing this thing," another viewer joked.

Where can I learn more?

The Cybertruck's shutdown adds to the pickup's troubles at a challenging time for the broader EV industry. 

• Tesla canceled Cybertruck plans in Australia and New Zealand, offering refunds after years.

• Germany denied Cybertruck road exemptions over pedestrian safety violations, adding to Tesla's market obstacles.

• In Florida, a Cybertruck kept failing after repairs costing $63,000 following a highway crash.

• Tesla's third-quarter deliveries topped forecasts in 2026 but remained below the previous year's total.

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