Tesla Cybertruck appears to be facing significant sales challenges. After initial hype faded, and over a million reservations turned out to be as real as unicorns, Tesla is now enabling leasing options and free upgrades to move its inventory of the futuristic pickup truck. The company’s recent silence on the Cybertruck, even omitting it from their earnings call, speaks volumes about the situation.
Tesla initially projected sales of 500,000 Cybertrucks annually and established production capacity at the Giga Texas for 250,000 units per year. After working through the initial reservation backlog with fewer than 40,000 deliveries, the automaker is now struggling to sell the remaining vehicles.
I just had a talk with a friend of mine in southern Ontario who lives in a farming rural area. He likes cars and often does searches for used vehicles in his area. In a 200km area around Brantford, there are over 200 used Teslas on sale down there over the past month or two because people are dumping them because they don’t like the brand.
The well moneyed sort who buy Teslas also like to change cars more often than the rest of us. Some of them are going to even more expensive brands like Rivian, and there’s a huge array of less expensive, more practical options.
Here’s how I personally see the brand transformation. I don’t believe these people are so principled that they are dumping these cars in protest. It’s more that the appeal that used to be there: of being part of the future, of moving off gas and embracing clean tech to help save the world… that little halo just isn’t part of the brand anymore. I see Teslas all the time where I live with license plates like “BYE CO2” and “LOL GAS.” But no one is going to hop on board that Tesla hype train any longer. They are no longer novel, they no longer virtue-signal and yes have actually become a bit icky. But I think we’re just seeing the end of the mirage, not really any kind affirmative lashback.
Now if I could just get my 6YO to stop fawning over them.
Hmm… i can’t blame them. The cybertruck does look like a 6yo’s drawing of a car.
Even if you ignore the politics it’s just a terrible car that is way too expensive. I’m honestly surprised it sold any units at all but I guess people just like vanity toys.
i wonder when ol stinky starts pushing somekind of law that makes it mandatory to buy one
This news makes me smile.
I got a chubby
You win lol
got treasure money now, no need to sell overpriced junk
Tesla’s were already ugly as sin and these things looked even worse. It’s not surprising.
Eh, I think they’re fine. They’re unique while still being aerodynamic, which is pretty hard in such a crowded field.
I’m not a fan, but I can totally understand those who are.
That said, the Cybertruck throws all of that out the window and is objectively ugly.
Bit like Elon, Never lived up to the hype
Are there brake problems again?
Tesla just needs a new slogan or a good marketing campaign.
Something like:
Tesla - power by joy
Or “Kraft durch Freude” in German.
All that would perfectly fit the brand image.
Uplifting news
If you do not revolt against the government, you will receive a free cybertruck as a replacement for your house, which will be too expensive to live in.
Each immigrant willing to leave voluntarily will receive a free cybertruck.
The US military, firefighters, EMT’s and police force will get new vehicles! They will all start to use cybertrucks.
Who would’ve thought that a very expensive truck in an ev market that is lukewarm at best, add in a good amount of weird looks and unreliability, wouldn’t be a big seller? I could pick a conventional truck for a fraction of the price or this. People who bought it were doing it for show and now that market is tapped out.
Yeah because they were showing such restraint before.
pulls out all the stops
I’m surprised those weren’t optional, paid DLC
