because Elon Musk said production of the unloved, unwanted,
and utterly absurd pickup will end at Gigafactory Texas.
Tesla didn't respond to our questions
about whether it is ceasing production
but currently, its Austin base is the only facility
with the specialist machinery required
to manufacture the truck's unique stainless steel body.
Well, only a limited number of people ever drove
or even saw a Cybertruck in the metal.
It's effectively banned in the EU, the UK,
fewer than 50,000 polarizing pickups had been sold in total,
certifying Elon's end of days EV as a flop.
Musk even tried to get President Donald Trump
to buy a Cybertruck, creating an impromptu Tesla showroom
on the White House South Lawn in 2025.
President Trump shunned the Cybertruck,
opting instead for a 200-mile-an-hour Model S Plaid.
Even before deliveries began in November '23,
Cybertruck was beset with design issues
and subject to 11, yes, 11 federal safety recalls,
ranging from dangerously faulty accelerator pedal pads,
the wrong glue, leading to panels potentially flying off,
and even the chance that the Cybertruck's owner's wheels
might detach and comedically overtake their own vehicle.
Yet, despite supposedly being so unreliable,
the Cybertruck did find a small but loyal audience.
Wired profiled a handful of owners last year,
all fervently in love with their pickups,
but who were periodically forced to endure insults
and taunts that they were extremists.
We even discovered the unlikely prospect
that the Cybertruck possibly ended marriages.
Cybertruck champion Roger Davis from San Diego
he confessed, I was married, but I'm not married anymore.
In his post on X announcing that Cybertruck production
was winding down, Musk said that Gigafactory Texas
would be switching focus on pumping out Cybercabs instead.
The autonomous EV is central to Tesla's robotaxi ambitions,
even though it too has had a rocky start.
or are you happy to see the stainless steel back of it?
