Just three years after they first began hitting the road, it’s officially the end of the line for Tesla’s Cybertruck.
The Associated Press reports that Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the company would no longer be making the electric vehicles, sharing the news in a brief post on his X.com social media platform.
“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.
A Shaky Launch
The Cybertruck concept was unveiled in 2019, with the first vehicles reaching customers in 2023. With a starting price of $39,900, Musk described the futuristic design as “cyberpunk,” which he claimed had been inspired by the films “Blade Runner” and “The Spy Who Loved Me.”
The 2019 launch did not go smoothly. As CNBC reported at the time, Musk claimed the Cybertruck was bulletproof, and could repel a 9mm bullet. During the launch event, Musk introduced Tesla chief designer Franz Von Holzhausen, who demonstrated the vehicle’s durability by taking a sledgehammer to the car’s body.
However, a subsequent demonstration went south when Von Holzhausen tossed a metal ball at one of the side windows to prove the strength of the armored glass — only for the glass to shatter (although the ball did not enter the vehicle).
“Oh my [expletive] God!” Musk exclaimed. “Well, maybe that was a little too hard.”
Multiple Recalls
Over the brief three-year history of the Cybertruck, Tesla has recalled the vehicle a staggering 11 times.
The first recall took place in April 2024, when nearly 3,900 early trucks were recalled to fix a loose accelerator pedal pad that could inadvertently cause the car to experience rapid acelleration.
Further recalls addres issues with windshield wiper, faulty exterior trim, delayed rear-camera images, potential loss of power and body panels that were prone to fall off while driving.
A Symbol of Protest
In hindsight, however, it now appears that the Cybertruck has been living on borrowed time since January 2025.
That was when Musk was appointed head by the newly installed Trump administration to lead the just-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk’s heavy-handed cost-cutting measures — and how he went about them — proved to be wildly unpopular with the public, and Tesla’s Cybertruck suddenly became a symbol of anti-DOGE anger as protesters began targeting Tesla dealerships.
It was around this time that Cybertruck owners began reporting that outrage toward Musk was being reflected onto them.
As the Reno Gazette Journal reported in February 2025, social media was being flooded with online accounts of Cybertruck drivers being harassed and verbally abused. Meanwhile, police were called to investigate an incident that took place in a Colorado Tesla dealership, when several Cybertrucks were vandalized with the words “Nazi Cars” spray-painted on them.
“It’s an extremely unique, extremely polarizing vehicle,” noted automotive analyst Tom Libby of the Cybertruck. “It’s the other end of the spectrum from the Toyota Camry, which is designed to offend nobody at all.”
End of the Road for Elon Musk’s Cybertruck as Tesla Begins ‘Winding Down’ Production