Musk says Tesla will wind down Texas Cybertruck production to make room for Cybercab

Elon Musk said in a post on X on Friday that Tesla will wind down Cybertruck production at its Texas gigafactory around the middle of next year. His stated reason is to make room for more Cybercab production.

"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, as quoted by The Guardian.

The Guardian, The Verge and Reuters all base their reports of the announcement on Musk's post. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include a separate Tesla statement.

Musk did not say whether Cybertruck production would move to another site, according to The Guardian and The Verge. The Texas factory is the only Tesla facility known to assemble the vehicle and to be equipped to make its specialized components, according to The Verge.

The reports do not give an exact end date. They do not establish whether Tesla will end the model entirely. They also do not describe any effect on jobs or plans for support, service or parts for existing owners. They include no Cybercab production targets or timetable.

Sales and background

The Cybertruck reached the market in 2023. The Guardian reports that deliveries began in late 2023 after several long delays linked to technical challenges, particularly the vehicle's steel shell.

Tesla does not report Cybertruck sales separately. The highest analyst estimates place total deliveries since launch at roughly 70,000, according to The Verge. The Guardian reports that Tesla delivered 8,300 "other models", a category that includes the Cybertruck, in the third quarter of 2026. Combined Model 3 and Model Y deliveries were 478,000.

The Cybertruck never went on sale in Europe because it did not reach the required safety standards, according to The Guardian. The Verge reports that it is not road legal in many parts of the world. It also says the vehicle has been subject to numerous recalls and involved in fatal accidents, but gives no figures or details.

Tesla's wider plans

According to The Guardian, Tesla stopped producing the Model S and Model X this year. The paper also reports that Tesla has started offering paid trips in limited parts of Austin, Texas, in the Cybercab, which has space for two passengers and no steering wheel. It says the Texas factory will also be used to build the Optimus humanoid robot.

Market context

The Guardian reports that Tesla shares fell 11% on Thursday, the day before Musk's post. It also reports that Republican candidates backed by Musk with $446m in donations lost in the US midterm elections. The reports do not establish any link between these events and the wind-down decision.

What is disputed

The Guardian and The Verge both report that sales remained far below the annual level Musk had cited, but they give different figures. The Guardian says he cited an aim of 200,000 a year. The Verge says he once predicted 250,000.

What each side says

Musk is the only party whose position appears in the reports. In addition to Friday's post, The Guardian quoted him as saying in a 2023 earnings call: "We dug our own grave with Cybertruck". According to the paper, he also noted "enormous challenges" in increasing production and earning money from the vehicle.

Analysis

Musk's post leaves a central question open: whether this ends the Cybertruck or only its production in Texas. If no other site takes over, the model could disappear from Tesla's lineup, especially if Texas is the only plant equipped to build it, as The Verge reports. If production moves, the reasons and costs would need explaining. The decision may also indicate how Tesla is prioritising factory space, but the reports include no Cybercab targets to measure that shift. Any further detail from Tesla could clarify the implications for owners, workers and the company's product plans.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.