Musk says Tesla to wind down polarising Cybertruck production as sales lag

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkNew Tesla Cybertrucks are seen at SpaceX's Starship facility in Starbase, Texas, Monday, October 13, 2025 [Eric Gay/AP Photo]By Al Jazeera Staff and ReutersPublished On 6 Nov 20266 Nov 2026Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the company will wind down production of Cybertrucks at its Texas facility amid poor sales.Trillionaire Musk made the announcement in a post on X on Friday, saying the wind-down would enable the company to increase its production of the new Cybercab model, launched as part of a foray into the so-called robo-taxi industry.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US Supreme Court agrees to hear watchdog case on Elon Musk’s DOGE recordslist 2 of 3Musk pledges $10bn in SpaceX shares for US children: Who really gains?list 3 of 3Tracking the money: The biggest donors in the 2026 US midterm electionsend of list“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,” Musk wrote.Announced in 2019, the Cybertruck’s stark design, featuring an angular stainless steel exterior, proved immediately polarising.At an unveiling ceremony that year, Musk sought to prove its windows were shatterproof. But the exhibition backfired, with metal balls launched at the car cracking two of the windows.The vehicle quickly became a symbol of opposition to Musk as he became increasingly involved in United States politics, including briefly leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) panel tasked by the administration of US President Donald Trump with cleaving federal government agencies. Musk most recently spent nearly half a billion dollars in the US midterm election campaign in support of Republican candidates, including more than $200 million in support of the failed Senate candidacy of Republican Ken Paxton in Texas. Beyond Tesla, Musk’s SpaceX company is also based in Texas.But the spending did little to prevent a blue wave in US politics, which saw Democrats take commanding control of the US House of Representatives and Senate. The shift could spell investigations into Musk’s work with the federal government.Musk had initially predicted the Cybertrucks, which became available to consumers at the end of 2023, would sell at a rate of about 250,000 a year. The model fell far below that target. In 2024, about 38,965 units were sold. That figure declined by nearly half in 2025, with 20,237 sold.In his announcement on Friday, Musk did not say whether Cybertruck manufacturing would shift to another factory. The plant in Texas is the only known production site.In response to a user on X, Musk called the Cybertruck the “best vehicle Tesla has ever made”, hailing the “end of an era”.