Tesla Extends Production to Late Summer 2027; Elon Musk: "There Must Always Be Room for Passion" as Cybertruck Axing Gets Pushed Back Again!

[BitAuto News]Tesla's plan to discontinue the Cybertruck has hit yet another twist. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk recently announced that the Cybertruck, originally slated to be phased out by mid-2027, will see its production run extended to late summer 2027 in order to fulfill outstanding backorders. From declaring its discontinuation to extending production yet again, repeatedly shifting the schedule within just a few days has thrust this controversial all-electric pick-up truck straight back into the limelight.

Three Revisions in a Week: Production Pushed Back to Late Summer 2027

On 6 November, Musk announced on social media platform X that Tesla planned to phase out Cybertruck assembly at the Texas Gigafactory by mid-2027, reallocating manufacturing capacity to the Cybercab robotaxi.

By 9 November, Musk further stated that Tesla would endeavour to maximise build numbers before shuttering the assembly line; however, with total orders outstripping current plant capacity, some reservation holders might have to receive deposit refunds.

Most recently on 11 November, Musk revised the timeline once more, confirming that Cybertruck production will now run until late summer 2027 to clear more order backlogs. However, he fell short of confirming concrete output targets under the revised run, nor did he guarantee that every single pending order would be fulfilled.

Deliveries Total Just Circa 63,000 Units in Three Years

Customer deliveries of the Cybertruck commenced in late 2023, with cumulative deliveries over the past three years estimated at a mere 63,000 units or so, and only 8,295 units handed over during the most recent financial quarter.

Musk previously projected that annual deliveries would hit 250,000 units once the plant hit full tilt. The actual figures miss that target by nearly fourfold. With development costs estimated at close to US$6 billion (approx. HK$46.8 billion), the amortised R&D cost factored into every single unit delivered to date is staggering.

Musk: Decision Isn't About the Money

Musk was remarkably candid on X: "From a pure profit-maximisation standpoint, this isn't the smartest move, but you've always got to leave some room in this world for passion and sentiment — otherwise, what's the point?"

Following the Cybertruck's debut back in 2021, he had already reflected: "To be frank, there has always been a chance the Cybertruck could flop because it is just so radically different. I don't care. I love it, even if others don't. Every other pick-up out there looks like a carbon copy of the next, but the Cybertruck looks like an alien craft built from the future."

This latest production extension is hardly driven by a sales resurgence, but rather an effort to clear pending order books. Against that initial 250,000-unit target, 63,000 units delivered means the Cybertruck has effectively transformed from a "vehicle of the future" into a mere "vehicle of sentiment".

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