From futuristic promise to overlooked asset: Elon Musk saves the Cybertruck with personal purchase.
When Tesla introduced the Cybertruck, it presented more than just a truck – it showcased a vision. Constructed from the same steel as SpaceX rockets, unpainted, featuring concealed screws, unconventional angles, and a pledge to withstand bullets, explosions, and storms.
However, this industrial dream quickly soured into a nightmare. After numerous delays and budget overruns, Tesla released the Cybertruck with a price tag that doubled the initial estimate and a total of eight recalls within a year. What was meant to be groundbreaking ended up as a tasteless joke for investors and enthusiasts.
Sales figures paint a grim picture: only 16,097 Cybertrucks were sold from January to September 2025, a 39% decline from the previous year. In contrast, the electric vehicle market in the US saw a 40.7% growth in the third quarter, making the Cybertruck’s performance appear lackluster.
The truck failed to meet European standards due to safety concerns regarding pedestrian safety and impact regulations, leading to a ban on its commercialization in the European Union. Even Germany turned down a request from the US Army to import the vehicle into military bases.
Despite thousands of unsold units, images revealed parking lots around the Texas gigafactory and dealerships utilizing supermarket parking spaces for storage. The unsold inventory exceeded 10,000 units, with trucks lining up in hangars at SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas.
Elon Musk’s silence on the Cybertruck during Tesla’s recent investor call spoke volumes. Instead, the focus shifted to the Optimus android and the autonomous Cybercab taxi, indicating that Tesla’s future no longer centers around its most visually striking vehicle. The Cybertruck, with its unmet promises and steel exterior, has morphed into a reflection of its creator’s paradoxes: an imposing yet unnecessary machine that Musk refuses to relinquish.
