Tesla will begin winding down Cybertruck production at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of next year to make room for increased output of its driverless Cybercab, according to Elon Musk. The announcement, posted on X on November 6, 2026, sets up what is being described as “a slow goodbye” for the angular electric pickup, with production expected to continue until roughly mid-2027.

Musk did not say when Tesla would stop building the Cybertruck outright, or whether assembly might shift to another factory. Those open questions — a firm end date, and a possible second production site — are the details to watch as the wind-down plan takes shape.

“Tesla will be winding down production of the Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of next year to make room for increased Cybercab production”

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2026, via X

Sales shortfall behind the decision

Tesla does not report Cybertruck sales separately. The company instead groups the truck with other vehicles under its “Other Models” category, meaning sales figures come from outside estimates — a reporting gap that has made third-party tallies the main public window into the truck’s performance since launch.

Musk once expected Tesla to sell between 250,000 and 500,000 Cybertrucks a year, according to figures cited by Forbes and Bloomberg. Actual sales have fallen far short of that range.

Deliveries weakened further in the third quarter. Electrek estimated that Tesla delivered 8,295 vehicles under the “Other Models” category, down from 15,933 in the same period last year, with roughly 7,000 to 8,000 of those likely Cybertrucks. The Guardian reported a similar total of around 8,300. By comparison, Tesla delivered 478,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles during the quarter — meaning the entire “Other Models” bucket, Cybertruck included, came to less than 2% of the volume of Tesla’s two core models.

Musk had flagged the risks as early as a 2023 earnings call, where he said Tesla had “dug our own grave with Cybertruck.” Deliveries began in late 2023, but the truck failed to meet European safety standards.

Texas factory’s focus shifts

Tesla is now channeling more attention into self-driving vehicles. Its two-seat Cybercab, which has no steering wheel, joined the Robotaxi fleet in Austin on September 3, 2026, and the company has begun charging for rides in parts of the city. For Gigafactory Texas, that points to assembly capacity once earmarked for the pickup being redirected toward a vehicle built for the company’s own fleet.

Vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said in the company’s October earnings call that Tesla had started building Cybercabs at its Texas factory, with the first units set to join Tesla’s own Robotaxi fleet.

CFO Vaibhav Taneja added that customers visiting Tesla showrooms were asking more about Full Self-Driving (FSD) test drives than about the Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck.

Tesla spent $2.76 billion on research and development in the third quarter, up from $1.63 billion a year earlier — a roughly 69% year-over-year increase. The Texas factory is also expected to build the company’s Optimus humanoid robot. The moves point to Musk prioritizing robots, AI, and self-driving cars over the regular release of new consumer vehicles. Tesla also stopped making the Model S and Model X earlier this year, leaving the Model 3 and Model Y as the company’s principal consumer models while new capacity is directed toward the Cybercab and Optimus programs. How quickly Cybercab output scales in Austin — and whether “Other Models” deliveries stabilize in upcoming quarterly reports — will show how far that reallocation has progressed.

A rough week for the world’s richest man

The announcement lands at a difficult moment for Musk. Republican candidates he backed with $446 million in donations lost in the US midterm elections. His fortune has fallen by about $113 billion, according to The Guardian, driven by investor concern that a Democrat-led Congress could slow the AI boom.

Tesla shares slid about 11% on Thursday as tech stocks dipped, while SpaceX shares lost 9%. Tesla shares later rose nearly 2% in Friday premarket trading to around $350, according to 24/7 Wall St.

Source: Cryptopolitan