Tesla to wind down Cybertruck production around mid-2027, Musk says
Tesla will wind down Cybertruck production at its Texas gigafactory around mid-2027, CEO Elon Musk said on Friday. The announcement came in an X post, and Reuters reported it, as carried by NBC News. Musk said the wind-down would let the company accommodate increased output of its newly launched Cybercab, the model he has made central to Tesla's robotaxi ambitions. In reply to a user on X, he called the Cybertruck the "best vehicle Tesla has ever made" and the wind-down the "end of an era."
It was not immediately clear whether Cybertruck production would move to another facility or be phased out entirely. The article notes that the Austin plant is the only known Tesla facility equipped to build the model's specialized components. Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
The sales record gives the background. Tesla only began delivering the Cybertruck to customers in late 2023. According to Kelley Blue Book, it sold 20,237 Cybertrucks in the US last year, down 48% from 38,965 in 2024. Before launch, Musk had predicted annual sales of 250,000 units. Former Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told the outlet: "It doesn't make sense to keep it going when it's not meeting its targets. Every rational auto guy would say the same."
The truck was controversial from the start. At its 2019 unveiling, its angular design was mocked by pickup purists, and safety experts predicted it would struggle to win approval in key markets such as Europe. The event itself was marred when Musk tried to show the windows were shatterproof by having metal balls thrown at them, and two of them cracked badly. At the official launch in 2023, Musk pitched it as a futuristic rival to pickups from General Motors and Ford, saying "finally, the future will look like the future." The vehicle struggled to meet those expectations. It ended up selling in only a handful of markets because of its heavy, angular design. Its sharp-edged stainless-steel body limited its prospects in places like Europe, where EVs are more popular, and regulatory approval there was impossible because of rules on pedestrian impact. Palmer put it this way: "Anywhere where you have crash regulation that takes into account pedestrian impact, that Cybertruck won't go, can't go."
Automotive analyst Felipe Munoz said the Cybertruck has been called a failure because of poor sales, but electric pickups from Ford and others have also flopped in the US. "All of them lost the competition because electric pick ups aren't popular in the US," he said.
The Cybercab has butterfly doors and no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors. It is one of Musk's key bets in his push to turn Tesla into an AI and robotics company rather than just an automaker, and he has described it as Tesla's main autonomous model for a global network of robotaxis. After years of delays to Musk's self-driving targets, Tesla began offering paid rides in a small fleet of Cybercabs in Austin in September. The company still has to answer the US auto safety agency's questions on whether it has properly self-certified the Cybercab as compliant with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Cybertruck lead engineer Wes Morrill said on X that the truck "was an incredible technology development platform and lives on through Cybercab."
Key facts
- Musk said in an X post that Tesla will wind down Cybertruck production at its Texas gigafactory around mid-2027 to make room for more Cybercab output.
- According to Kelley Blue Book, Tesla sold 20,237 Cybertrucks in the US last year, down 48% from 38,965 in 2024; before launch Musk had predicted 250,000 units a year.
- It is not clear whether production will move to another plant or end entirely; Austin is the only known Tesla facility equipped for the model's specialized components.
- The Cybertruck sold in only a handful of markets; pedestrian-impact rules made regulatory approval in Europe impossible.
- Tesla began paid Cybercab rides in a small Austin fleet in September, but still has to answer US auto safety agency questions about its self-certification.
Why it matters
The Cybertruck was Musk's loudest product promise: a stainless-steel pickup that would take on GM and Ford, with annual sales he predicted at 250,000 units. Winding it down around mid-2027 closes that chapter, and Musk himself called it the "end of an era." The stated reason looks forward. The same Texas factory capacity is wanted for the Cybercab, which the article describes as one of Musk's key bets to turn Tesla into an AI and robotics company rather than just an automaker.
Who it affects
Tesla and its investors, who are watching the company shift its weight from a flagship truck to robotaxis. Current and prospective Cybertruck buyers are affected too, though the article says nothing about orders or support. The Texas gigafactory, the only known Tesla plant equipped for the truck's specialized components, is where the change lands. Rival pickup makers such as Ford and GM, whom Musk once positioned the truck against, are part of the context, since the analyst Felipe Munoz notes that Ford's electric pickups have also flopped in the US.
How to use it
This is a corporate announcement rather than a product or tool, so there is nothing to adopt. What it does give is a timeline: production continues until around mid-2027 per Musk. The next things to watch are whether Tesla says if production moves to another site or ends entirely, and what it says about Cybercab output. The article gives no Cybercab output targets or price.
How solid is it
The core claim comes straight from Musk, Tesla's CEO, in an X post, and was reported by Reuters. Tesla had not responded to Reuters' request for comment at the time of writing. The timing is approximate ("around mid-2027") and the article gives no calendar date for the announcement beyond "Friday." The sales figures are attributed to Kelley Blue Book and cover the US only. The article words the 20,237 figure as "last year" and compares it with 2024.
Risks and caveats
Several things are open. The article does not say whether the Cybertruck will be built at another plant or discontinued entirely. Reading the sales decline as the cause is the outlet's framing and Palmer's view, while Musk's own stated reason is Cybercab capacity. Munoz cautions that the Cybertruck's poor sales are part of a wider US weakness for electric pickups. On the Cybercab side, Tesla still has to answer the US auto safety agency on whether it properly self-certified the vehicle for federal safety standards, and paid rides so far are limited to a small fleet in Austin.
“Cybertruck was an incredible technology development platform and lives on through Cybercab”
— Wes Morrill, Cybertruck lead engineer, on X