CyberTruck low sale numbers

[Ziggy Stardust]

This is not a bash on the CyberTruck specs or such but why in my opinion the CT just does not sell like Tesla hoped for.

The CT was brought out to much fanfare and with a just under $40K price for a single motor. It looked like a nice mid priced vehicle at the time with some really nice features included. But what actually came out a few years later was more of a high end priced vehicle that was missing what I think are basic high end touches. Which turned it into a niche product and still is to this day.

So here is a short list of what I think.

The sound system from what I read and you all mention is very good and high quality.

Range was not what was promoted.

The interior is lower grade plastic in many places and just does not seem like a $80-100K+ vehicle

The also cut corners on build as shown by the recalls for the Cantrails and other items that were not put on right in the first place.

Quality control was lacking for the first year or so and many of you had issues with wipers, wind noise, doors, panels not lining up and still happens to this day on some new trucks.

Even some of the extra nice touches had issues like the Tonneau cover leaking water from rain more than it should.

What would be the final production truck was not tested enough if at all in the field like it should have been. Many of the issues coming in colder weather, rain, and even some general usability issues would have been caught and hopefully corrected. Fixing those issues would have made a better product and better sales.

This is just a small list and there is more as I have read from your posts like the PCS issue that costs alot to replace if not warrantied.

I know some of these issues have been corrected now by the 3rd year of production but the damage is done. The CT has several nice features like steer by wire and good towing. But there is also on the other end areas where it just does not seem like a $80-100K vehicle like some of the interior plastic, wind and door noise, window noise issues for some.

In conclusion it is now set to be a niche product. It will never sell even close to what was envisioned to be. To many of you that is fine but that is not what Tesla wanted it to be. Even Elon said the CT may be a downfall for Tesla many years ago.

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[CyberGus]

Most of the 1M+ reservations failed to convert to sales for 3 main reasons:

1. Price
2. Price
And
3. Price

 

[SCTesla]

1. It's niche, not nitch
2. In order price, range, and political polarization are the reasons why it's a low demand vehicle.
3. The average consumer has no clue about things like the PCS failing and isn't using that to disqualify the truck.

There's a small market for $80k+ trucks and even smaller for BEV trucks. They vehicle could be flawless, with 0 issues and would struggle at this price point. Sales would tick up with more range, but even with 500 miles of range it wouldn't be a 125k pee year truck at $80k+.

 

[CyberSav]

Great post. I agree with lots that you said. In my experience, Cybertruck was/is a very beta and unfinished product and that translated directly into my ownership experience.

It could have been so much better. Not sure what they did during all those years between showing the concept and releasing the production model but they definitely didn't use that time to test it and work out the many many kinks it had.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Agree the number 1, 2, and 3 reason is price for what you get. I corrected the typo and niche is now corrected.

Yes there is a very small market for this EV truck and all EV trucks for that mater and that is why price was so important.

 

[SlegMD]

Was going to agree with Gus, but then ya range on paper does act as a deterrent. That being said the charger network does negate that point moderately.

Then there was that whole political foray. My lady was pretty worried about the ramifications of owning a CT. I am pretty annoyed I ever had to deal with this social issue and still haven’t forgiven EM, but the CT was just that neat for me, and still is.

 

[TyPope]

I remember them taking a couple of the trucks to somewhere cold and doing winter testing. I don't know why the cant rail problem wasn't caught then. I have never felt that my Beast had cheap plastic anywhere. It feels nice and all the touch surfaces meet my expectations. Maybe I just have unrefined taste.

 

[ChiTownCT]

Let's not forget and ignore ICE propaganda. Facebook and social media ads targeting Tesla on every chance possible, these tactics prey on the average consumer, and like most consumers they absorb this and run with it.

 

[SlegMD]

I remember them taking a couple of the trucks to somewhere cold and doing winter testing. I don't know why the cant rail problem wasn't caught then. I have never felt that my Beast had cheap plastic anywhere. It feels nice and all the touch surfaces meet my expectations. Maybe I just have unrefined taste.

Ya with social media I was expecting the CT to feel very cheap on the inside, but the aesthetic is pleasant and everything feels solid. The high end interiors on much more expensive vehicles don’t interest me honestly, I always seem to glaze over them, but that is just me.

 

[TyPope]

Ya with social media I was expecting the CT to feel very cheap on the inside, but the aesthetic is pleasant and everything feels solid. The high end interiors on much more expensive vehicles don’t interest me honestly, I always seem to glaze over them, but that is just me.

I have a FSCB and I know the dash is different from the AWD versions and maybe the newer versions. Maybe the A pillars are different too. It's all soft to the touch. The ONLY thing that I interact with that feels cheap is the lumbar support button. It's a 4-way switch and seems to operate two different lumbar supports but I just hate interacting with it. Can't tell what it's doing most of the time.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

You are all giving good feedback and that is why I posted this.

The CT has cemented it's place in history and sales.

Like I have mentioned if Tesla built a smaller version which I assume would be a lower price point it would sell ok I think.

You look at the Ford Maverick hybrid many of us non EV'ers bought it does what is needed for a lighter, smaller truck and even can be upgraded to a better tow package now if you want. There is a good market for something like this in the EV world and I think Slate is trying to be an answer to that.

As a point of reference the sales of the Maverick Hybrid continue to go up year after year. There is no reason Tesla could not build a EV version and get many of those sales if they really wanted.

As for me I was open to the CT but it was just to big and had many features that just were not needed. But if there was a smaller CT that just did the job and looked nice even with some extra features then we would have been in the market for it.

Here is one actual use example I am talking about. We get 4-6 bales of hay each month and they fit nicely in the Maverick truck bed even with a 40lb bag or two of grains or feed pellets. I can easily reach over the side at any point of the bed and pick up the bales or bags from the truck bed. I found a local CT owner and we did a test and yes the CT could fit the bales and feed but due to the height and angles there is no way to grab them except from the back. You have to climb in to push them forward to grab them or have a very long hay hook and tall person that can use it to grab them. He also had a spare tire in the back that we had to remove so the bales would fit right.

It's the little things that people need and want that can make or break a sale. Price does matter a lot but even I would forgive that to a point if a vehicle seemed like a good fit.

 

[Loudness]

Nothing in the Cybertruck interior feels cheap to me.

Spartan, yes, but that is a common design aesthetic for all Teslas, and one I've really grown to appreciate, especially as FSD has improved to the point that it's 94% of my miles driven. The minimalistic physical controls contribute to the feeling of a truly autonomous vehicle.

As most seem to agree, price is the big limiting factor for Cybertruck sales, followed by range, aesthetics, and politics. The doubling of the price from when I reserved in November 2019 to when I ordered in December 2023 made me almost reconsider, and I *LOVE* the vehicle (very glad I followed through).

Range anxiety isn't unique to the CT, it's one of the most common factors people cite when buying any BEV, mostly if they've never owned one before. But for people buying what is also a utility vehicle that can tow, it's a genuine concern. A lot of traditional "truck people" never even considered the CT for this reason. (Canceling the range extender didn't help)

Aesthetics are what they are - you love it or hate it, it's a personal preference.

Elon getting deeply involved in politics during the year of the Cybertruck launch hurt all of Tesla and made the CT symbolic of a world view. The truck already stands out as something unique in the auto world, the politics made it a highly visible target of hate and turned off a significant amount of the potential market. Personally, I think the hate is stupid and I've never experienced it in person with my CT, but it is what it is.

 

[jimbobb23]

The non-work market for premium trucks is small. Price becomes the central issue. Many people who use trucks for work are not mentally ready to convert to EV.

The truck looks different. Every time I see mine it makes me happy but for some it's just too weird.

My guess is price (pushed into a relatively smaller market) and polarizing appearance and it got caught up some how for some people who view everything through a political lens as a representation of some political event that their team was upset about.

It's the most amazing vehicle I have ever owned but I think a much cheaper version would go far. But for a full size EV truck it's amazing (but expensive).

 

[Mini2nut]

The $82k MSRP is the #1 barrier to entry for those interested in a Cybertruck.

With a median yearly income of $62k the Cybertruck is well beyond the reach of the average American.

 

[jimbobb23]

You look at the Ford Maverick many of us bought it does what is needed for a lighter, smaller truck and even can be upgraded to a better tow package now if you want. There is a good market for something like this in the EV world and I think Slate is trying to be an answer to that.

As a point of reference the sales of the Maverick Hybrid continue to go up year after year. There is no reason Tesla could not build a EV version and get many of those sales if they really wanted.

The Maverick is great. I was looking at getting one and took my wife and she sat in one and almost spit in my face she hated it so much. It is tiny. But I think Tesla making a tiny truck would be a great option. But it's going to be more expensive because batteries are more expensive and hybrids have hardly any battery.

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