Musk Plans to Shut Cybertruck Line in About 8 Months and Shift to Cybercab
Key Facts
Elon Musk said the rate of orders for the Cybertruck exceeds Tesla’s production rate, and that the company will refund deposits to many customers before shutting the truck’s production line in about 8 months. He said Tesla will try to make as many vehicles as possible before stopping the line. Musk linked the decision to making room to increase Cybercab production. He said the Cybertruck’s complexity makes the value of additional Cybercab production far greater than the opportunity cost associated with that complexity. He added that ending truck production is not because it is unprofitable.
Musk said on Friday that Cybertruck production at Tesla’s facility outside Austin would begin to decline around mid-2027, paving the way for increased Cybercab production. His statement about shutting the line in about 8 months sets a timeline for the shift he announced for the truck. Musk said: "We’ll try to make as many as possible before shutting the line in about 8 months, but we’ll have to refund deposits to a lot of people." That means some reservation holders will not receive the vehicle before production ends, according to his comments about refunds. He stressed that the decision centers on the Cybertruck’s complexity compared with the value of directing additional production capacity to the Cybercab.
Separately, Lucid said it produced 2,954 cars and delivered 3,806 in the third quarter of 2026. The company said deliveries exceeded production as part of a plan to reduce inventory. It also said production fell from the previous quarter, in line with the cancellation of the second shift at its AMP-1 factory in June. This provides operational context for the earnings announcement, as the company delivered more cars than it produced while reducing inventory. Lucid shares closed at $3.29 on November 6, while Tesla shares closed at $358.22 the same day.
Tesla’s previous closing prices were $403.82 on November 2, $398.50 on November 3, $385.19 on November 4 and $343.69 on November 5. Lucid closed at $3 on November 2, $3.02 on November 3, $3.37 on November 4 and $2.98 on November 5. Lucid scheduled a call to discuss its third-quarter results and update its priorities for November 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. In a separate Tesla development, the Associated Press reported that the company cut its 2026 capital expenditure estimate to $20 billion from $25 billion after its third-quarter results. Tesla, Lucid and Rivian share movements in the November 9 session could not be verified from a reliable open source.