Elon Musk has hit the brakes on the Cybertruck, announcing on X that Tesla will wind down production at its Texas factory around mid-2027. Despite years of delays, the stainless-steel turd Musk claimed was a futuristic, apocalypse-proof tank straight out of Blade Runner is headed for a production wind-down after roughly four years, putting the Cybertruck alongside such automotive flops as the Edsel and the DeLorean. We can’t even put the Cybertruck on the same tier as the Ford Pinto, as that deathtrap was produced for a decade. The first Cybertruck lumbered off Tesla’s production line in mid-2023 before going on sale later that year, and it was practically right out of the gate that the problems began. Within months of the first deliveries, recall notices began piling up on the monstrosity. Trim pieces were flying off, internal components were failing, cameras were malfunctioning – all in all, the thing has faced 11 recalls since hitting the road in late 2023, most recently in April 2026, when a defect in brake rotors was found to potentially cause cracks that could allow wheel studs to separate from their hubs. Musk had pinned a lot of Tesla's hopes on the Cybertruck a few years ago, describing it during the company's Q3 2023 earnings call as "a great product" that would eventually generate "significant positive cash flow" for Tesla. Musk said on that same earnings call that Tesla intended to ramp Cybertruck production up to 250,000 vehicles per year by 2025 to meet the over one million Cybertruck reservations he claimed Tesla had taken. Some Musk fans may still be waiting for their Cybertrucks, while others may have canceled their reservations after reading early reviews or experiencing the reality of driving such an ugly vehicle associated with a right-wing provocateur. Tesla hasn't disclosed how many reservations were canceled or converted into sales. Even then, it was widely reported in recent years that unsold Cybertrucks were piling up around the US, with Tesla unable to move them even with repeated price reductions. Tesla has never shared Cybertruck sales numbers, but it’s estimated that only around 70,000 of the things have been sold in the past three years - not exactly a ringing endorsement of its marketability. So that’s that for the Cybertruck - it’s safe to say it’s been a total disaster for Musk and Tesla. It never sold well, never became a boat, and will likely never be remembered fondly. ®