Citing an apparent backlog of orders, Tesla is increasing short-term production of its unconventional Cybertruck electric pickup, even as the company has announced plans to end production next year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a Nov. 7 post on X that his company will boost Cybertruck production, despite sluggish sales that led it to wind down the electric pickup to focus on the Cybercab.
The Tesla Cybertruck order backlog is currently far more than we can make before dismantling the line for Cybercab expansion around June/July next year.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2026
We will add an extra shift to try to get all orders done in time.
"The Tesla Cybertruck order backlog is currently far more than we can make before dismantling the line for Cybercab expansion around June/July next
year," he wrote. "We will add an extra shift to try to get all orders done in time."
The comments come as Tesla's Cybertruck sales have fallen 28% so far in 2026, according to new data released by Cox Automotive.
Why is Tesla discontinuing the Cybertruck?
Tesla sold 11,586 Cybertrucks in first three months of 2026, compared to 16,097 in the first three months of last year.
The vehicle was first introduced for the 2024 model year.
The Cybertruck sales decline came as overall electric car sales fell in the last few years, following President Donald Trump and Congress eliminating a popular EV $7,500 tax credit.
Carmakers sold 725,888 electric cars in the first nine months of 2026, according to data released Oct. 12 by Cox Automotive, down 30% from the more than 1 million EVs they sold in the same period last year.
Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox Automotive’s director of Industry Insights, said in a statement that Tesla's decision to discontinue the Cybertruck "highlights how difficult it can be to translate strong initial attention and enthusiasm around a new vehicle into sustainable mainstream demand."
"The Cybertruck was envisioned as a vehicle that could bring Tesla into the heart of the pickup market, but it ultimately became a more niche offering," she said. "It’s also a reminder that even an established EV manufacturer like Tesla can face challenges when introducing a radically different product into one of the most competitive and brand-loyal segments of the U.S. auto market."
Here's how the Cybertruck has sold since its introduction in 2024:
- 2024: 38,965
- 2025: 20,237
- 2026 so far: 11,586
How did politics impact sales of the Tesla Cybertruck?
The Cybertruck launched during the height of the 2024 presidential campaign, when Musk vocally supported President Donald Trump, and the cars became a symbol for some of shoppers' alignment with Musk and Trump's politics.
Musk went on to become an advisor to Trump after he returned to the White House in January 2025, and he led the administration's Department of Government Efficiency, which was charged with drastically reducing the size of the federal workforce.
According to a November 2025 Yale University study, Tesla sold 1 million to 1.26 million fewer vehicles between October 2022 and April 2025 than it otherwise would have without what the study's authors dubbed the "Musk partisan effect." The study also found that Musk's public political stances increased sales of other automakers' electric and hybrid vehicles by 17-22%, as drivers opposed to the CEO's politics fled to other EV manufacturers.
According to apoll released in January by EVs for All America, an advocacy group that works with car manufacturers to push U.S. and state lawmakers to adopt EV-friendly policies, 44% of people who said they are seriously considering buying an EV had a mostly unfavorable opinion of Musk.
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith at klaing@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elon Musk cites Cybertruck backlog. So why is Tesla discontinuing it?
