I can’t recall the last time I had a strong reaction to the mention of a mainstream car company. Say the Words Nissan or Buick, and models and general review impressions come to mind, but neither company elicits an emotional response.
Say the word Tesla however, and it’s possible I visibly wince. Not because I have extreme positions on the maker in general–I don’t–but because the company, the brand, and certain Tesla products (one in particular) have become cultural flashpoints, the mention of which squelches normal and informed conversation, and invites lowest-common-denominator rage, mostly in social media, where most public opinion is now sadly incubated.
The Cybertruck is a Flop
It can be nearly impossible to have a civil e-conversation about Tesla without the “Teslarati” leaping into the digital fray to defend the company and its products from the masses trying to make sense of electric-car news generally, and Tesla happenings specifically.
Tesla activism has long been a part of the EV start-up’s presence. Founded in 2003, Tesla has only recently embraced advertising, and as yet, does not maintain a press office. Instead, Tesla has relied on a powerful—and presumable carefully cultivated—social-media presence. Indeed, throngs of independent Tesla “activists” disseminating and, more importantly, “correcting” Tesla news have proven far more effective than any ad campaign might have.
But the powerful force that is Tesla’s fanbase may have finally met its match: the Cybertruck. Introduced to the public in late 2019, with production beginning in July 2023, Tesla’s controversially styled homage to post-apocalyptic science fiction has proven to be so deeply flawed in design and production that even the most-ardent Tesla supporters have gone quiet in their Twitter/X war rooms. This as countless examples of the Cybertruck’s deficiencies work their way across the Internet.
Productions delays, design flaws, recalls, unexplained failures, embarrassing off-road performance, and, of course, the unlovable design, have rendered Tesla’s once-promising stainless-steel wonder an unequivocal flop.
But the ramifications of the Cybertruck implosion go far beyond its impact on just Tesla sales. Once promised by Tesla CEO Elon Musk to exceed 500,000 units in annual sales, the Cybertruck clicked off just under 40,000 U.S. deliveries in 2024, with little promise of improving buyer interest in 2025.
The impact of the electric pickup’s failure in the market place goes well beyond a bloody nose for Tesla, as, sadly, the truck’s disastrous retail performance will affect future Tesla plans, employment in both the U.S. and Mexico, and, almost certainly, EV adoption by politically driven consumers who might have come around on the prospect of EV ownership had Elon’s wonder truck proven worthy.
The Cybertruck is, actually, bad
At some point, anecdotal evidence, observed in sufficient volume, becomes real evidence. And the posts on Facebook and Twitter/X chronicling the Cybertruck’s deficiencies in off-road conditions are telling. One recently shared video depicts a Cybertruck failing to climb a steep, sandy trail which a 15-year-old Hummer H2 conquers easily—in reverse.
And while a number of these posts may well be edited to intentionally make the Tesla appear to perform poorly, take note of how few videos have been posted of the vehicle performing well in similar environments. Given the copious amount of social-media noise once produced by the Tesla-fan army, the silence now reveals deep truths about just how little evidence there is that the Cybertruck lives up to, in any way, its rugged promise.
But worse, even as an everyday vehicle, the Cybertruck is failing customers in troubling ways. Because Tesla does not maintain a relationship with the media, it is impossible to share the company’s position on a number of commonly reported disappointments, including the truck’s proclivity for shutting down in car washes, and performing poorly in snow.
Though I have not yet driven a Cybertruck, I have spent time sitting in, and scrutinizing, an auto-show prepped example of the truck. Despite being hand selected for presentation, the truck in question suffered from crude, sharp, corners and edges, misaligned body panels, and an uneven finish on its famous stainless-steel exterior.
More importantly, since its introduction, the Cybertruck has been the subject of seven independent recalls for faults ranging from throttle-pedal covers which slip out of place, to sudden losses of power.
The Cybertruck failed to deliver on its promises
Elon Musk made a number of promises when the Cybertruck was revealed in 2019. Among them, Musk shared the truck’s intended price range of $40,000-$50,000, and battery range of up to 500 miles. If you’ve been paying attention, you know that the first Cybertrucks came in at $100,000 for the Foundation Series model, and $120,000 for the “Cyber Beast.” Depending on equipment, range for the first Cybertrucks came in at an EPA-estimated 314-340 miles. Well shy of 500 miles.
There is old joke about a convenience store which was advertised to always be open. A customer of the store, noticing that the owner was in the process of closing up, asked, “Hey, aren’t you open 24 hours?” “Yes,” replied the owner, “but not in a row.”
The Tesla joke, if indeed any of this is funny, is that the maker is now taking deposits on an external battery pack, which mounts in the pickup bed, to supplement the range of the Cybertruck. A few problems with that battery: First, there is no timeframe given for delivery of the battery. Second, the add-on battery consumes roughly a third of the space in the truck’s bed—and adds considerable weight to the truck. Third, the battery lists for a staggering $16,000, of which, $2000 is required as a non-refundable deposit.
Finally, no specs are given for the supplemental battery, so, despite its cost and impact on cargo-hauling capacity, there are no assurances that the pricey after-purchase option will raise range to the originally promised 500 miles. It’s also likely that installation of the battery will be an additional cost.
As of this writing, the battery is still being offered by Tesla, this despite that fact that the Cybertruck is currently selling at just 20 percent of anticipated volume. It seems unlikely that demand will warrant delivery of what promises to be a fairly low-interest after-market option. Consider that before plunking down a non-refundable $2000 deposit.
Stainless-Steel Liability
If you’ve been following Tesla, you may recall the launch of the maker’s Model X midsize crossover. For reasons unclear to even company loyalists, the X was—and is—equipped with branded “Falcon” doors, which open very much like the gullwing doors seen on classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles, or similar exotic-vehicle offerings.
What was strange about the Falcon doors is that they were employed only for second-row access, meaning that front-row Model X occupants entered and exited the car via conventional doors. For this reason, the Falcon doors, which were designed—per Tesla—to allow easy access to the car in tight parking environments, were pretty much pointless, as they did nothing for the driver/front-row passenger in limited-space parking situations.
Despite this, the launch of the Model X was delayed several times as Tesla struggled to make the Falcon doors work as intended. Even after launch, the doors proved problematic, requiring a number of over-the-air (OTA) updates. And, arguably, the Model X never really sold in sufficient volume to merit the design cost and complication of the odd doors.
Having learned nothing from the Falcon-door exercise, Tesla (Elon?) pushed ahead with stainless-steel body panels for the Cybertruck. And while stainless-steel sounds pretty cool—it can’t be stained, and, it’s steel—the real-world promise of the material has not been met.
Not only are crash-repair costs reportedly higher for the Cybertruck because of the panels, but the material itself is proving to be an issue. Firstly, the Cybertruck body is NOT stainless, and is reportedly subject to rust, or something akin to rust, but the finish itself is commonly uneven, even at the time of delivery.
Plus, Cybertruck owners are now learning that “wrapping” their unpainted trucks—a common form of vehicle customization—is fraught with peril. Videos circulating now demonstrate how the vinyl wrap material cannot be easily or cleanly removed from the Cybertruck’s stainless-steel panels—and that scrubbing the panels to remove the vinyl ruins the steel’s factory finish.
And, as it turns out, despite rumors to the contrary, the Cybertruck is not bullet proof. And yes, there are videos of owners shooting their own cars. It’s possible, too, that the Cybertruck’s geometric design is at least in part a result of the use of stainless steel, which is famously difficult to stamp and shape.
There were never 2 million hand raisers
At some point after the Cybertruck’s reveal, Elon Musk announced to the media that more than 2-million willing customers had placed deposits for a place in line to purchase a truck. As of now, with roughly 40,000 examples delivered, would-be customer can order, and take delivery of, a brand-new Cybertruck in less than two weeks. Qualified shoppers are also enjoying factory discounts of $1000-$2000, suggesting that not only is demand weak, but that there is no one in line to purchase a Cybertruck.
The Cybertruck is a resale-value disaster
While early examples sold at a premium, used Cybertrucks, at the time of this writing, are being listed for as little as $80,000. As new examples of the truck are now being retailed with incentives, prices of used Cybertrucks are likely to plunge further in value.
Impact of a Flop
Customers are fleeing Tesla
Though U.S. electric-vehicle sales climbed again last year, Tesla sales have been falling since late in 2023. There are a number of factors in play here, including the maker’s aging product lineup, Elon Musk’s confusing political aspirations, and, likely, damage done to the brand’s image by the Cybertruck.
While Tesla’s sleek, efficient, and simply designed Model 3 small sedan and Model Y small crossover have been a hit with EV shoppers, aligning well with their green, small-carbon-footprint aspirations, the Cybertruck is entirely antithetical to that position.
The Cybertruck arrives at an inopportune time for Tesla, as EV purchase intenders turned off by the brand’s brash and inefficient pickup truck, now have dozens of new electric vehicles to choose from. Note that both Ford and General Motors enjoyed strong EV sales growth in 2024, thanks in large part to the former’s Mustang Mach-E, and the latter’s attractively priced Chevrolet Equinox EV.
Self-inflicted wounds
Tesla builds the Cybertruck at the maker’s relatively new Gigafactory Texas facility in Austin. The plant currently produces both the Model Y and Cybertruck, and is also reportedly slated to build a third model sometime in the future. Various sources suggest that Tesla had allocated production volume of up to 250,000 Cybertrucks annually at the Austin factory—roughly half the plant’s capacity.
With Cybertruck demand coming in at just 20 percent of that volume, Tesla is left with a serious over-capacity situation. Combine the under-performing Cybertruck with slowing demand for the maker’s other products, and Tesla is operating just at or slightly below industry factory-utilization targets, generally around 80 percent.
Because it is very expensive to run a factory under capacity, and because brand sales are slipping, Tesla margins are under pressure—which will hurt stock values—and future development capital will likely be compromised.
Add to the manufacturing costs the estimated $1.5-2.0 billion Tesla reportedly spent to develop the Cybertruck, and the once high-flying EV carmaker now seems destined for serious cutbacks.
Worse, Tesla has no exciting product on the horizon to keep investors interested in the company’s future. The recently introduced Cybercab is a long-shot investment for a number of reasons. First, it is not clear that Tesla possesses the technology to launch a fleet of self-driving taxis, and secondly, the market for ride-hailing vehicles is relatively small. The Model Y currently sells at a 30,000-unit-a-month clip in the U.S. It is very unlikely that demand for a Cybercab would exceed that figure on an annual basis.
Also promised, though details are hazy, is a $25,000 Tesla vehicle. The on-again, off-again Model 2, as it is sometimes called, was to be built in Monterrey, Mexico. The as-yet unbuilt Gigafactory Mexico would have given Tesla the much-needed break in labor costs required for the company to hit anything close to a $25,000 retail price. Of course, hitting retail price targets has never been Tesla’s forte.
But, with overcapacity in the U.S., Tesla needs to build a new product stateside to fill its domestic plants, making the prospects of ever seeing the Model 2, or any sub-$30,000 Tesla, highly unlikely.
Just a thought: Given that Tesla is likely out of the Mexican-factory game, it strikes this author likely that Elon Musk is advising newly elected President Donald Trump to enact Canadian and Mexican tariffs as a way of handicapping carmakers with operating factories in those countries. Both Ford and General Motors are currently assembling EVs in Mexico, and enjoying the lower labor costs associated with building cars in that country.
The threatened 25-percent tariff on products coming from Canada and Mexico would go a long way toward closing the manufacturing cost gap between building cars here in the U.S., and south of the border. Again, just a thought.
Haters gonna Hate
Before the Cybertruck was a flop, it had the potential to draw consumers predisposed for political reasons to shun electric vehicles into the EV fray. With its over-the-top design, huge horsepower numbers, and the promise of extreme off-road performance, the Cybertruck could have been the vehicle to make EVs cool to a population of committed gasoline and diesel burners.
But the cross-the-aisle electric-vehicle handshake is unlikely now that the Cybertruck has become the subject of mass ridicule—especially as an off-road vehicle. One might have expected that—as Elon Musk went public with his politics–consumers from less carbon-footprint-minded states might make up some of the sales volume lost as traditionally Left Wing-affiliated EV shoppers left the Tesla fold. Alas, that now seems unlikely.
Any chance the company had of converting Red State and MAGA-affiliated consumers into EV-intenders and Tesla owners fell apart when the trucks begin bricking up in car washes, and getting stuck in mild snow storms.
The shame of it all
And while young Americans are no longer as interested in cars as I was in the Eighties and Nineties, it seems unlikely that the sight of a Tesla Cyber truck wouldn’t bring a gaggle of youths to at least point and stare. Sadly, the conversation subsequent to a sighting, as uninformed as it may be, will not be about how the truck is electric, instead, it will probably go something like this:
“Whoa, a Cybertruck!”
“I hear those things sucks!”
“My uncle has one, and it he hates it. It’s hard to clean, and has a broken gas pedal!”
What could have been an icon of electrification has become a national joke, and is an epic flop. And that’s a terrible shame, especially because Tesla is an American carmaker, and had come a long way in improving the quality of its popular cars, the Model 3 and Model Y.
But not only is the Cybertruck a flop in the conventional sense, it is also an epic flop in product planning and fiscal management. This because not only has the Cybertruck proven difficult to sell, its development cost and impact on manufacturing capacity will, to at least some extent, limit the maker’s ability to deliver much-needed new products. And, perhaps worst of all, the Cybertruck gives electric-vehicle detractors a new reason to question the validity of the EV movement. A flop, indeed.
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Tesla Cybertruck Pictures
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