Elon Musk now says Tesla will keep building the Cybertruck “through the end of summer 2027” to “work through more of the Cybertruck order backlog.” That buys the electric pickup roughly two to three more months, five days after Tesla first announced it was killing it.
The reprieve lands as a growing number of Tesla’s own fans push back on the decision, and on what it says about Tesla’s future as a company that sells cars to people.
Three end dates in five days
On November 6, Musk said Tesla would wind down Cybertruck production at Giga Texas “around the middle of next year” to make room for Cybercab. On November 9, he wrote the line would shut “in about 8 months” and that Tesla would “have to return deposits for a lot of people.” Now it’s the end of summer.
The reasons have moved around just as much. First it was factory space, then “a very limited number of smart, dedicated people,” then the “opportunity cost” of the truck’s complexity. We went through each of them: Tesla is ending the Cybertruck as sales stall at about 10% of plan, Musk’s demand claim doesn’t survive the numbers, and Musk admitted Tesla doesn’t have the talent to run more than one vehicle program.
And the “backlog” is one Tesla built itself. Before the announcement, the truck was selling at a pace of roughly 30,000 units a year, about 10% of the 250,000 Tesla planned for, on a line with over 125,000 units of installed capacity. Telling people the truck is going away creates a last-call rush. That’s not demand Tesla was missing before.
Tesla also raised Cybertruck prices by up to 10% the same day and paused orders for the base Dual Motor. The cheapest Cybertruck you can order is now $92,490, up from $69,990 in early August.
Some of the people in that backlog have been waiting a while. Several cheering in Musk’s replies say they’re still waiting on the $59,990 Cybertruck Tesla sold for “10 days only” in February. One asked whether Tesla will prioritize Premium and Cyberbeast orders over theirs. Musk didn’t answer.
Tesla fans are asking the right question
The most telling replies weren’t about the truck. Chuck Cook, one of the best-known FSD testers in the Tesla community, quote-tweeted Musk asking him to “change your mind,” adding: “Cybercab won’t haul my bees.”
Another longtime Tesla supporter, Phil Trubey, asked for “a vehicle roadmap post end of summer 2027,” followed by: “Will Tesla make any other vehicle?”
That’s the right question, and Tesla hasn’t announced a single new consumer vehicle to answer it. Tesla started 2026 with five consumer vehicle programs: Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck. It ended Model S and Model X production in the spring, citing “autonomy.” The Cybertruck goes next. By fall 2027, Tesla’s consumer lineup will be the Model 3 and Model Y, two vehicles that launched in 2017 and 2020.
Tesla’s answer to the affordable car it promised for years was stripped-down “Standard” versions of those same two vehicles. In China, its second-biggest market, Tesla turned Giga Shanghai into an export hub, and domestic retail sales crashed 66% in October to the lowest level in over four years.
Even Unplugged Performance, the biggest Tesla tuner around, offered to take the Cybertruck line off Tesla’s hands and pay a license fee. People want this truck built. Tesla doesn’t.
Electrek’s Take
We’ve been warning about this for years, and for years we got called haters for it.
The pattern has been clear since Tesla swapped its affordable car plans for Robotaxi in 2024. No new consumer platform. Model S and X killed “for autonomy.” Cybertruck killed “for Cybercab.” A Roadster pitched as a thruster stunt nine years after its unveiling. Every product decision points away from selling cars to people and toward robotaxis and Optimus, two businesses that don’t generate meaningful revenue today.
A two-to-three-month extension doesn’t change any of that. It’s a gesture to the loudest part of the fan base, and it happens to let Tesla sell a few thousand more trucks at prices up to 10% higher than last week. Fine. But the people who bought into Tesla’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy are now realizing that mission was quietly rewritten, and the word “sustainable” didn’t make the cut.
Tesla is becoming a company that sells two aging EVs to fund a bet on autonomy. That might work out for shareholders. We have our doubts, given Tesla is still behind Waymo by every public metric. But it’s a lot less exciting for the people who wanted the next great Tesla car.
The question for fans now: when the Model 3 and Model Y get their own “opportunity cost” post on X, will anyone actually be surprised?
If you’re buying an EV, Cybertruck or not, powering it with home solar can cut your fuel costs to nearly zero. With electricity rates up almost 10% last year and expected to keep climbing, going solar is one of the best ways to protect yourself against rising costs. And with lease and PPA options, you can do it with zero upfront cost and start saving immediately. If you want to find the best deal, check out EnergySage. It’s a free service with hundreds of pre-vetted installers competing for your business, so you save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. No sales calls until you pick an installer. Get your free quotes here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
