Is the Cyber Truck a Flop?

[Fuddyduddy1952]

A lot of people want a 'one size fits all' vehicle which I'm thinking is why crew cab large pickups are so popular, a 4dr family sedan+truck, but just like I have a variety of tools I bet there would be a market for a small inexpensive truck.
I see a lot of Mitsubishi minicab trucks around here. They're inexpensive, economical, tilt bed (imagine unloading gravel, wood, dirt, hay...anything with a tilt bed). For getting supplies or working around the farm they have a purpose.
An electric similar with 150-200 mile range could be very useful especially if not expensive.

 

[ultrarunner]

A lot of people want a 'one size fits all' vehicle which I'm thinking is why crew cab large pickups are so popular, a 4dr family sedan+truck, but just like I have a variety of tools I bet there would be a market for a small inexpensive truck.
I see a lot of Mitsubishi minicab trucks around here. They're inexpensive, economical, tilt bed (imagine unloading gravel, wood, dirt, hay...anything with a tilt bed). For getting supplies or working around the farm they have a purpose.
An electric similar with 150-200 mile range could be very useful especially if not expensive. View attachment 4182964

These little trucks punch way above their weight and from farmers in the mountains carrying immense loads to market…

Their weakness is safety at highway speeds.

I’ve seen several plated in Washington State and spoke to one owner at a feed store… she said it’s perfect for her horse operation…

 

[WinterDeere]

US Customers buy more than 10x more full size F150’s than smaller Rangers.

If true, is that due at least partly to availability?

I see so many complaints online about the demise of good mini pickups, like the original VW's, Ranger and Tacoma. I suspect it could be tied to the relation between mileage requirements and vehicle footprint.

You're right on the R&D costs, but range could be better with a smaller vehicle, and it might also play better toward the desires of those trending towards EV's. You do have to admit, the Ranger and Tacoma were both insanely popular vehicles, in their original forms.

 

[rontaki]

If one can wait a year, there will hopefully be the Slate pickup, assuming prices are reasonable.

 

[redman135]

Dark Black post 640: I am a foreign member and automaticly look for export potential. A US sized pickup is to big for the rest of the world. Building a ranger sized pickup opens up export potential, and 2.5 ton is a good sized tow weight for this size of vehicle in ice form, so start from there. Also a cab & chassis should be offered.
With a vacant pickup niche in these tight times and nobody selling there, ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Tesla class 8 truck is another Tesla blunder by non truckers.
Etrucks strengths are short haul stop/start, AND CERFEW beating. An Etruck goes curfew??? what curfew? The very low noise from Etrucks means they have extended delivery hours(see europe) and the ultra low emmisions zones are not a problem for Etrucks either.

 

[WinterDeere]

Not only that, but because it's been widely spouted here that "EV's don't work in rural areas" due to the longer distances and lack of charging facilities, we can assume the primary market for any EV truck is more urbanized areas... precisely where something with the footprint of a CyberTruck just doesn't work as well as something smaller.

 

[jmc]

I suspect that part of the CT schtick is not just the shape but also the size.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Our electric cost has DOUBLED in the past year, and they want another increase. The economy of an EV is quickly waning. We now pay about $230/mo while running no AC or heat.

How many KWs are you using per month?

 

[NoTrespassing]

A lot of people want a 'one size fits all' vehicle which I'm thinking is why crew cab large pickups are so popular, a 4dr family sedan+truck, but just like I have a variety of tools I bet there would be a market for a small inexpensive truck.
I see a lot of Mitsubishi minicab trucks around here. They're inexpensive, economical, tilt bed (imagine unloading gravel, wood, dirt, hay...anything with a tilt bed). For getting supplies or working around the farm they have a purpose.
An electric similar with 150-200 mile range could be very useful especially if not expensive. View attachment 4182964

Reminds me of my 91 Ranger as far as load capacity goes. That thing is rated at about 1,500 pounds load isn't it? One bucket of gravel from my Kubota would put it over its limit I think I remember hauling pea gravel from the quarry with the Ranger, it was pretty funny when the end loader dumped a quarter bucket in it and it flattened the springs.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

How many KWs are you using per month?

I'll have to look. Less than this time last year I know. But I pay a helluva lot more.

 

[NoTrespassing]

MSN

www.msn.com

Tesla's Cybertruck Sales Collapse in Q3: What's Behind the Dip?​

Electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla TSLA posted record deliveries in the third quarter of 2025, but one of its most-hyped products—the Cybertruck— is turning into its biggest embarrassment yet.

According to the latest EV Sales report by Cox Automotive, Tesla sold just 5,385 Cybertrucks in the third quarter, marking a steep 62.6% drop from last year. And this decline came when the broader U.S. EV market recorded its strongest quarter ever, with sales soaring nearly 30% to roughly 438,000 units as customers rushed to buy vehicles before the expiration of EV tax credits on Sept. 30.

A Rocky Ride for Cybertruck— Hype Meets Reality​

The Cybertruck was meant to be Tesla’s crown jewel— a stainless-steel beast straight out of a sci-fi movie, symbolizing CEO Elon Musk’s bold, futuristic vision. But in reality, it’s turning into Tesla’s commercial flop.

The vehicle failed to deliver on its own hype. Recurring issues like falling body panels, disappointing range and underwhelming towing capacity have soured enthusiasm even among die-hard Tesla fans.

Despite initial excitement — with over a million pre-orders once touted — the vehicle’s rollout has been plagued by production delays, quality issues and sky-high pricing. When first announced, Tesla promised three affordable trims starting at $39,990. Those price points are now long gone. Today, even the entry-level model tops $60,000, and buyers are realizing that the truck’s bold, angular design comes at the cost of everyday practicality.

So far this year, Tesla has sold around 16,000 Cybertrucks, down 38% year over year — nowhere near Elon Musk’s original goal of selling 250,000 units each year.

The company is also struggling with inventory build-ups, suggesting that demand has cooled faster than expected.

Is Musk Buying His Trucks Now?​

Per Electrek, Musk’s private ventures — SpaceX and xAI — are now buying unsold Cybertrucks to replace their internal combustion fleet. It’s a move that raises eyebrows about just how much faith Tesla itself has in the pickup’s future.

Well, the Cybertruck story serves as a reminder that even Musk’s boldest ideas can fall flat when ambition outruns execution.

From a valuation standpoint, TSLA trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 13.82, way above the industry. It carries a Value Score of F. Meanwhile, General Motors, Ford and Rivian trade at a forward sales multiple of 0.3, 0.28 and 2.31, respectively.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Elon Musk's SpaceX and xAI are buying Tesla's unsold Cybertrucks

Hundreds of Tesla Cybertrucks have been spotted being delivered Elon Musk’s private companies, SpaceX and xAI, as Tesla is having...

electrek.co

Hundreds of Tesla Cybertrucks have been spotted being delivered Elon Musk’s private companies, SpaceX and xAI, as Tesla is having issues selling the electric pickup truck.


Cybertruck turned out to be Tesla’s first real commercial flop.

After planning for a production capacity of over 250,000 units per year, Tesla is currently selling the pickup truck at a rate of ~20,000 units annually.

A ~10% utiliation rate of a production line is a terrible situation for an automaker as much of the capital invested in the vehicle program becomes sunk cost.

But things are even more difficult with Tesla, as even with much lower production, the automaker often ends up having inventory build-ups for the Cybertruck.

Elon Musk has a solution: he had his private companies buy hundreds if not thousands of Cybertrucks.

Several truckloads of Cybertruck were spotted being delivered to xAI’s offices this weekend.

Furthermore, SpaceX has taken delivery of hundreds of Cybertrucks at Starbase of the last week and it is expected to take delivery of hundres, if not thousands more in the coming weeks.

Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck lead engineer, commented on the delivery and said that SpaceX, along with Tesla, is replacing its support fleet with the Cybertruck:

Love to see the ICE support fleets from Tesla and SpaceX get replaced with Cybertruck. When we were engineering it, this was always part of the dream. Never imagined how hard the fleet photos at starbase would go. Looking forward to more of this.

He didn’t elaborate on how many vehicles SpaceX is expected to buy.

 

[tradosaurus]

MSN

www.msn.com

Tesla's Cybertruck Sales Collapse in Q3: What's Behind the Dip?​

Electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla TSLA posted record deliveries in the third quarter of 2025, but one of its most-hyped products—the Cybertruck— is turning into its biggest embarrassment yet.

According to the latest EV Sales report by Cox Automotive, Tesla sold just 5,385 Cybertrucks in the third quarter, marking a steep 62.6% drop from last year. And this decline came when the broader U.S. EV market recorded its strongest quarter ever, with sales soaring nearly 30% to roughly 438,000 units as customers rushed to buy vehicles before the expiration of EV tax credits on Sept. 30.

A Rocky Ride for Cybertruck— Hype Meets Reality​

The Cybertruck was meant to be Tesla’s crown jewel— a stainless-steel beast straight out of a sci-fi movie, symbolizing CEO Elon Musk’s bold, futuristic vision. But in reality, it’s turning into Tesla’s commercial flop.

The vehicle failed to deliver on its own hype. Recurring issues like falling body panels, disappointing range and underwhelming towing capacity have soured enthusiasm even among die-hard Tesla fans.

Despite initial excitement — with over a million pre-orders once touted — the vehicle’s rollout has been plagued by production delays, quality issues and sky-high pricing. When first announced, Tesla promised three affordable trims starting at $39,990. Those price points are now long gone. Today, even the entry-level model tops $60,000, and buyers are realizing that the truck’s bold, angular design comes at the cost of everyday practicality.

So far this year, Tesla has sold around 16,000 Cybertrucks, down 38% year over year — nowhere near Elon Musk’s original goal of selling 250,000 units each year.

The company is also struggling with inventory build-ups, suggesting that demand has cooled faster than expected.

Is Musk Buying His Trucks Now?​

Per Electrek, Musk’s private ventures — SpaceX and xAI — are now buying unsold Cybertrucks to replace their internal combustion fleet. It’s a move that raises eyebrows about just how much faith Tesla itself has in the pickup’s future.

Well, the Cybertruck story serves as a reminder that even Musk’s boldest ideas can fall flat when ambition outruns execution.

From a valuation standpoint, TSLA trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 13.82, way above the industry. It carries a Value Score of F. Meanwhile, General Motors, Ford and Rivian trade at a forward sales multiple of 0.3, 0.28 and 2.31, respectively.

The Cybertruck— is turning into its biggest embarrassment yet.

Given the link is from MSM and it mostly fake news, how is the CT an embarrassment? I've test drove a CT and it's amazing.
Being a Tesla owner and following this same topic at a Tesla forum I don't see the CT as a failure. It's a niche item that I will probably buy in the next 2 years.

 

[tradosaurus]

Correct, the CT didn't get the credit.

And yes I am definitely watching the market intently to see how EV sales continue. The surge in September EV sales being reported now indicates it will likely cool off substantially for Q4.

Wrong!
The low and mid trim level CT came in under $80K and most certainly did qualify for the credit.

 

[WM75Guy]

I was watching a video of the booster being moved to the launch pad. The parking lot had a long row of Cybertrucks. The Spacex vehicles escorting it were all Cybertrucks.

 

[WM75Guy]

Here is a screenshot of the video.

 

[WinterDeere]

how is the CT an embarrassment?

The actual sales numbers are literally 8% of the forecast numbers. The investment in manufacturing capacity was grossly over scale, probably indicating a substantial loss for the company.

It might be a great vehicle, I suspect it is in many ways. But it's clearly unappealing to the intended customer base.

 

[redman135]

The people making the cyber truck never used a pickup as a pickup, so they built the wrong vehicle for this demographic.

 

[WinterDeere]

The people making the cyber truck never used a pickup as a pickup, so they built the wrong vehicle for this demographic.

I think most new pickup truck buyers “never used a pickup as a pickup”. The number of even 3/4 ton trucks I see with low-profile tires on 24” wheels and other silliness that completely defeats their utility for anything other than being a highway queen, seems to grow each year.

So, when you say “this demographic”, I think you’re ignoring the huge number of people who buy a pickup truck more as a styling choice than out of any real need for a truck. Tesla could have smartly gobbled up this market, if they hadn’t made the thing look like an 8 year old child’s impression of Doc Brown’s Delorean.

 

[deezler]

Wrong!
The low and mid trim level CT came in under $80K and most certainly did qualify for the credit.

Starting for 2025 only, none did in 2024 or prior. In any case the foundation series, cyberbeast and tri-motor did not. This is the majority of cybertruck sales so far. But you are technically correct that some now do. Thanks for yelling at me though.