Tesla to Cut Cybertruck Output to Ramp Up Cybercab Production Before Line Is Dismantled in 2027
Key Facts
Tesla plans to cut Cybertruck production at its Texas factory ahead of dismantling the line around June or July 2027, making room to increase Cybercab production, Elon Musk said. Reuters quoted him as saying that back orders for the truck "far exceed what Tesla can produce before dismantling the line." That puts the industrial shift in the first half of next year, as the company continues to fill truck orders before repurposing the line. Musk said the move is intended to increase production of the Cybercab robotaxi. The decision will shift part of the Texas factory’s capacity from the electric truck to the self-driving vehicle.
The shift comes as sales estimates point to weaker demand for the Cybertruck. Tesla sold about 20,237 trucks in the United States in 2025, down 48% from 38,965 trucks in 2024, according to a Kelley Blue Book estimate cited by Reuters. Sales through the end of September 2026 were also down 28% from the same period, according to a Kelley Blue Book estimate reported by the Associated Press. These figures show a decline in recorded annual sales, despite Musk’s assertion that back orders exceed what can be produced before the line is dismantled. Musk had previously forecast annual production of 250,000 trucks, a target that can be compared with the volume of U.S. sales recorded in 2025. The difference between the two measures reflects that past sales and back orders before the dismantling date cover different periods.
The Cybertruck has represented an ambitious production project for Tesla since Musk unveiled it in 2019. During the presentation, the windows shattered after a company designer threw a metal ball at two of them to demonstrate their strength, according to the Associated Press. The launch price also failed to meet Musk’s promise that it would be below $40,000; a former Tesla executive said the first trucks sold for twice that price or more. This background highlights the gap between the product’s initial ambition and the subsequent sales trajectory, which points to a decline, without negating the back orders Musk cited. Wes Morrill, the engineer in charge of the Cybertruck, said the technology developed for the truck would continue through the Cybercab, describing the truck as "an amazing platform for developing technology." His comments frame the shift to the Cybercab as an extension of some of the work developed for the truck, alongside the allocation of factory space to the new vehicle.
The Cybercab itself is entering an initial commercial operating phase as Tesla prepares to increase its production. The company began offering paid rides in a limited number of the vehicles in Austin in September 2026, according to Reuters. In the same month, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an inquiry into the basis for the vehicle’s safety certification, according to the same source. That places the anticipated production expansion alongside an ongoing regulatory review, with no available information specifying when it will be completed. Tesla says cutting truck production will allow it to increase Cybercab output, while the timing cited by Musk indicates that dismantling the line will not begin before June or July 2027. Under the announced plan, the shift will depend on the company’s ability to fill Cybertruck back orders before then and subsequently expand production of the robotaxi.
In trading on Friday, November 6, 2026, Tesla shares rose 4.23% and closed at $358.22, according to Reuters data carried by Investing.com. The close followed a daily gain of $14.53, according to the same trading data. The available information does not include reliable session highs and lows. The stock’s performance that day provides market context for the news, but does not establish that the move was linked to the Cybertruck production cut announcement. The announced industrial shift remains centered on dismantling the line around mid-2027, after a period in which the company said back orders exceed its production capacity.