Newsletter
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated on Friday that the company will gradually cease production of Cybertruck at its factory in Texas around mid-next year, to make room for increasing the production of Cybercab robotic taxis.
- Cybertruck has always struggled to attract buyers, and Tesla's sales in the 'other models' category decreased by 48% year-on-year in the third quarter, which includes Cybertruck.
- During this adjustment, Musk is also considering pushing for a merger between Tesla and SpaceX. After the merger, a company holding over 30,000 bitcoins will be formed.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated on Friday that as the company shifts its focus to autonomous vehicles, Tesla will cease production of Cybertruck at its Gigafactory in Texas around the middle of next year.
"Tesla will gradually stop producing Cybertruck at its superfactory in Texas around the middle of next year to make room for increasing the production of Cybercab," Musk wrote in a tweet.
In response to a user stating that Cybertruck is the best vehicle ever made by Tesla, Musk said, "That's right, but the Cybertruck team will still be around for a long time to come."
The chief engineer of Cybertruck, Wes Morrell, responded to Musk's post by saying, " Cybertruck is an amazing technology development platform, and it will continue through Cybercab." He also thanked truck owners and "all those who make the future look like the future."
This stainless steel pickup truck was first delivered to customers at the end of 2023, but it has struggled to attract buyers. According to Electrek, Tesla delivered 8,295 units in the "other models" category during the third quarter, a year-on-year decrease of 48%, which includes Cybertruck. The media outlet stated that this means the sales volume for this model is only about one-tenth of Tesla's annual production target of 250,000 units set for its manufacturing line.
Elon Musk has always regarded Cybercab – Tesla's robotic taxis – as the core of transforming the automaker into a AI and robotics company. In April 2025, he stated that Tesla would launch its first robotic taxi service in Austin, using Model Y vehicles equipped with fully autonomous driving software, and then begin producing Cybercab in Texas the following year.
Reuters reported that Tesla began offering a test-drive service for the Cybercab in a limited area of Austin on September 3. The Cybercab is a two-seater vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, and was first unveiled in October 2024. At that time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that they were "evaluating the situation," as federal regulations typically require vehicles to be equipped with manual control devices. The report also mentioned that Tesla started producing the Cybercab in April, and by the time the test-drive service was launched, there were already 45 Cybercab vehicles registered in Texas.
Auto Express reports that at the press conference in 2024, Musk stated that he expects the price of Cybercab to be around $30,000.
Elon Musk's merger plan
At this turning point, Musk is weighing the option of merging Tesla with SpaceX. Earlier this year, SpaceX already acquired Musk's company xAI. Last month, Musk stated that special committees composed of independent directors have been established in the boards of both companies to evaluate the merger; if it goes through, rockets, satellites, AI models, robots, and cars will be brought under one umbrella, reshaping his AI business landscape. A document from SpaceX subsequently confirmed that any merger would require approval from its “controlling shareholder,” Musk.
If Tesla merges with SpaceX, it will also form a giant in the Bitcoin vault industry: SpaceX holds 18,712 BTC, and Tesla holds 11,509 BTC, totaling 30,221 BTC. At current prices, this is worth approximately $2.3 billion.
Both companies have also prevented their stocks from being listed on the tokenized stock platform that cryptocurrency exchange OKX and ICE, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, are building.
