Will Tesla finally admit that the Cybertruck is a huge flop?

Tesla’s Cybertruck promised to revolutionize the automobile industry, but it has become one of the most memorable flops in history.

More than a year after its launch, the Tesla Cybertruck, this three-ton giant priced at over $80,000, remains on the shelves. Sales? Hardly 40,000 units in 2024, far, very far from the 250,000 units per year Elon Musk had proudly announced.

Since its release, the Cybertruck has experienced multiple incidents, facing more setbacks than successes. Eight recalls in thirteen months, including recent body panels detaching at the slightest gust of wind, have not helped improve the image of the behemoth. Add a design that divides opinions between “futuristic sculpture” and “geometric joke,” and the charm simply doesn’t engage. More than a technical issue, this pickup has become a symbol of Tesla’s strategic failures and Elon Musk’s sometimes provocative, sometimes uninspiring antics.

Yet Tesla had gone all out, adapting its Austin Gigafactory to produce 250,000 Cybertrucks annually. The result? Slow production and accumulating stockpiles. The blame falls on a price that has nearly doubled since the initial announcements and safety standards incompatible with exporting to certain markets. Meanwhile, Ford and Chevrolet continue to appeal with reliable, affordable traditional pickups.

Questionable metallic choices

The unpainted stainless steel bodywork, an audacious idea on paper, turned out to be a real headache. Sensitive to fingerprints and difficult to shape, it recalls the errors of the legendary but disastrous DMC-12 DeLorean—without Marty McFly to save it. All of this comes with skyrocketing production costs, literally and figuratively.

Despite over a million pre-orders announced, the Cybertruck missed its target. Pickup buyers want to transport, tow, and share videos—something that makes social media happy. Not to mention those videos where Ford F-150s tow distressed Cybertrucks, delighting internet users.

The Cybertruck joins the ranks of spectacular industrial failures. A reminder that innovation, no matter how brilliant, must primarily meet consumer expectations. A future on wheels is good, but a functioning car is better.

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