Futuristic flop: Musk announces end of Cybertruck production in Texas

Austin. Tesla's futuristic electric pickup Cybertruck is heading toward the end after just a few years on the market - even before the vehicle has hit the market in Europe. Company boss Elon Musk announced that production of the vehicle in Texas would end in the middle of next year to make way for the construction of Cybercab robotaxis without a steering wheel and pedals.

The Tesla Gigafactory in Texas is the only factory where the Cybertruck, with its body made of thick stainless steel, is built. Musk's choice of words theoretically left open the possibility that production of the pickup could be relocated to another plant. However, this would probably involve considerable effort - and the Cybertruck was anything but a bestseller.

At the time, Musk promised production capacity for up to 250,000 Cybertruck vehicles per year in the final stage of expansion. Tesla does not provide any sales figures for the model - but according to experts, it sells significantly less of it than previously planned. According to the financial service Bloomberg, Barclays analyst Dan Levy estimates current annual production at around 20,000 vehicles with a capacity of 125,000 units.

The Cybertruck was introduced in 2019 and went into production in 2023 with a significant delay. The model's unconventional look divided opinions. Musk later also admitted that the heavy and angular car could only come onto the market in Europe with adjustments. He wants to focus Tesla on humanoid robots and autonomous driving. At the main factory in Fremont, California, production of the Tesla Models S and X has already been stopped to make room for the construction of robots called Optimus.