Tesla Buries the Cybertruck to Clear the Way for Robotaxis

Tesla Buries the Cybertruck to Clear the Way for Robotaxis
In 2019, Elon Musk pitched the Cybertruck as a radical break from a century of familiar-looking pickups: “We want to try something different.” Tesla forecast a starting price below $40,000 and up to 500 miles of range, but the vehicle arrived years late in late 2023, at roughly $60,000 and with more than 100 miles shaved from its top advertised range.

The stainless-steel truck found devoted owners, but never became the mass-market hit Musk envisioned. Tesla had once talked about annual volumes of 250,000; Cox Automotive estimated U.S. sales at 38,965 in 2024, then 20,237 in 2025 — a 48% decline. Its record was further clouded by 11 voluntary recalls for the 2024 model, covering problems from an accelerator-pedal risk to software and power-loss faults.

Now Tesla is redirecting the Texas line toward the two-seat Cybercab. Musk announced that Cybertruck production would be wound down “around the middle of next year to make room for increased Cybercab production.” The move follows Tesla’s broader shift toward AI, robotics and autonomous transport; it has already redirected Model S and Model X factory space toward Optimus humanoid robots.

Musk rejects the idea that weak economics forced the decision. He says the Cybertruck backlog is “far more than we can make before dismantling the line,” promising an extra shift to fill orders before the planned June or July closure. In a later post, however, he acknowledged Tesla would have to return deposits to many buyers, while insisting the truck is not unprofitable.

That is the central split in Tesla’s farewell: Musk presents the Cybertruck as a successful technology platform making way for a bigger robotaxi wager. The sales trajectory, recalled vehicles and gulf between the original vision and the product on the road make its retirement look less like a clean handoff than an expensive retreat.

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