The Tesla Cybertruck doesn’t have much in common with the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV except for the obvious – they’re all electric pickup trucks.
Unfortunately, the other thing they have in common is they aren’t very popular.
Tesla doesn’t actually release any specific model sales date, but estimates from the US indicate the total number of Cybertucks sold in 2025 was likely less than 50,000. In contrast, Ford managed to shift more than 765,000 F-150, but only 33,510 of those were the electric Lightning.
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It seems Tesla, Ford, Chevrolet and others have overestimated the current demand for electric utes.
This week reports from the US have claimed buyers are being offered between $1600 and $2600 discounts on a Cybertruck, which is on top of the previous price cuts. In October Tesla slashed $20k from both the AWD and tri-motor variants.
It doesn’t help that Tesla chief Elon Musk’s initial 2019 claim that the shiny truck would cost $40,000 proved to be dramatically underselling the final production cost, so his initial claims of selling 150,000 electric trucks seems unrealistic at best.
Other reports from the US have suggested Tesla has moved workers from the Cybertruck production to the updated Model Y, which further indicates softening demand for the unorthodox ute.
READ MORE: Driven – Ford F-150 Lightning
It’s not just the Cybertuck too, with Tesla’s global sales down for the first time in the brand’s history. In Australia sales slumped by more than 16 per cent on the previous year, as demand for the Model 3 and Model Y appears to wane amongst local buyers.
The company has introduced a facelifted Model 3 already and the new-look Model Y is likely to arrive by the end of 2025. Tesla Australia will be hoping the freshen up helps renew interest.
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The other obvious factor impacting Tesla’s future is Musk’s recent move into the political sphere. He has become deeply involved in Donald Trump’s new US government and politics is by its very nature divisive but is particularly so in the US at present. Not only will his government work take time and attention from Tesla, it’s possible Musk’s political stance could put off potential Tesla buyers that either don’t agree with his views or avoid the connection altogether.
Of course, the early decline in the Cybertruck may simply be down to the simple factors of cost and its fit-for-purpose capability in what is an incredibly competitive pickup market in the US.
Why do you think interest in the Tesla Cybertuck is waning? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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