Tesla to wind down Cybertruck production as Texas factory shifts to Cybercab

Tesla will wind down production of the Cybertruck at its Texas factory around the middle of next year, chief executive Elon Musk has said, redirecting capacity toward the company’s self-driving Cybercab. Musk said the decision would make room for increased Cybercab production. The Guardian reported that he did not say whether Tesla planned to manufacture the pickup at another site, while noting that moving production would require specialised tooling and significant investment.

The future of the vehicle is therefore not fully explicit. BBC News reported that Musk did not state whether Tesla would stop making the Cybertruck altogether or shift production elsewhere. Wes Morrill, the project’s lead engineer, appeared to suggest the model was being discontinued, writing on X that the Cybertruck had been a technology development platform whose work would continue through the Cybercab.

The angular stainless-steel pickup reached customers in late 2023 after lengthy delays. Its development was technically difficult, particularly because of its unusual steel body. Musk had previously acknowledged the challenge, saying in a 2023 earnings call that Tesla had “dug our own grave” with the vehicle and faced enormous difficulties increasing production and making money from it.

Sales have fallen well short of the company’s ambitions. BBC News, citing Kelley Blue Book figures, reported that Tesla sold 20,237 Cybertrucks in 2025, down from 38,965 the previous year. Musk had predicted annual sales of 250,000 after commercial production began.

The Guardian said Tesla does not report Cybertruck sales separately; in the third quarter of 2026, only 8,300 “other models” were delivered, a category that includes the pickup. The Cybertruck also faced several recalls. BBC News reported that one 2025 recall affected more than 46,000 vehicles over concerns that part of the trim could fall off.

The vehicle was not put on sale in Europe because it failed to meet required safety standards, according to The Guardian. The pickup’s public debut in 2019 was marked by a failed demonstration in which a supposedly unbreakable window shattered. Musk nevertheless said at the time that the vehicle had received 146,000 orders.

The reports say fans praised its retro-futurist design, while critics mocked its appearance. Tesla’s strategic emphasis is increasingly on autonomous driving, robotics and artificial intelligence. The Texas facility is also expected to build the Optimus humanoid robot.

Tesla has begun offering paid Cybercab trips in limited parts of Austin, Texas, but the pace of wider deployment remains uncertain amid regulatory scrutiny of driverless technology. Tesla shares rose 4.7% on Friday after Musk’s announcement, according to BBC News. The Guardian placed the decision within a broader shift away from a steady stream of conventional vehicle models and toward robotics, autonomous transport and other technologies.