Cybertruck was the 5th bestselling EV in 2024

[YDR37]

Many people don't realize this, but Ford and Tesla have different sales models. What's normal for Ford is not necessarily normal for Tesla.

So instead of comparing Cybertrucks to Fords, how about comparing Cybertrucks to ... other Teslas?

I just checked Tesla new inventory for 2024s within 100 miles of the local zip code. Results:

2024 Model S: 1
2024 Model 3: 0
2024 Model X: 0
2024 Model Y: 0
2024 Cybertruck: 37

One of these things is not like the others. But don't take my word for it, check for yourself.

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[CyberZephyr]

So instead of comparing Cybertrucks to Fords, how about comparing Cybertrucks to ... other Teslas?

I just checked Tesla new inventory for 2024s within 100 miles of the local zip code. Results:

2024 Model S: 1
2024 Model 3: 0
2024 Model X: 0
2024 Model Y: 0
2024 Cybertruck: 37

One of these things is not like the others. But don't take my word for it, check for yourself.

I guess the hate really hit hard.

 

[HaulingAss]

Some differences in opinion but for the most part I can see where you are coming from.

On this fine day on April 9th my guess for CT DELIVERIES in 2025 is 35,000 or less, which would be a real shame.
Based on your points above are you leaning towards sales not dropping by over 10% and tesla delivering more than 35,000 CTs this year?
(for simplicity lets use North America as the variables for selling in other countries gets tricky)

Yeah, I think Tesla will increase Cybertruck sales this year over last. After the first quarter they are already ahead of last year at the same point (and it has been a particularly challenging period).

 

[HaulingAss]

In theory, Tesla stores don't need to carry any inventory at all -- they just need to keep a few demo vehicles around that customers can sit in and take for test drives. if you decide to buy one, the exact vehicle you want will be delivered promptly.

In theory, Ford doesn't need to keep any inventory at all - they just need a few demo vehicles around that customers can sit in and take for test drives. If you decide to buy one, the exact vehicle you want will be delivered to you promptly.

But that's not how they do it because they have found having inventory on the lot leads to a lot more sales. They are also offering tons of incentives like employee pricing, thousands of cash back, 0% financing for 60 months, etc. etc. etc.

So if you see lots of F-150s lined up in rows at the Ford dealer, that's normal. The dealer is motivated to keep plenty of trucks in stock locally, even though this is inefficient. If you see lots of Cybertrucks lined up at the Tesla store, something is off. That's not how an efficient "just-in-time" logistical system is supposed to work.

So when Tesla starts doing it like Ford does it you see a problem with Tesla, but not with Ford? OK Maynard, whatever you say.

Ford sold 7,187 F-150 Lightning trucks in Q1 of 2025. This was a 7.2% decrease compared to the 7,743 units sold in Q1 2024. That's in spite of plenty of incentives and lots of stock ready to drive home. Not to mention the MSRP is already priced tens of thousands of dollars lower than Ford's cost to produce (and dealers are willing to discount it below even that!). Are you on the Ford Lightning forum telling Ford owners what a loser their truck is?

Tesla is increasing Cybertruck sales quarter over quarter, the Cybertruck outsold the F-150 Lightning in it's first year of production, and now people want to claim the Cybertruck, which is the best selling electric truck in the world, is a failure? Where do all of you negative Nellies come from? The anti-Tesla Bot factory?

 

[Gigahorse]

Yeah, I think Tesla will increase Cybertruck sales this year over last. After the first quarter they are already ahead of last year at the same point (and it has been a particularly challenging period).

These days it seems like every month is a challenging period, or maybe I just look at the news to much.

I am doubtful that Tesla will sell more than 35k CTs this year, but I sure hope to be wrong on that, better for all CT owners if there are more on the road.

 

[YDR37]

In theory, Ford doesn't need to keep any inventory at all .... that's not how they do it because they have found having inventory on the lot leads to a lot more sales.

Well, that's my point. Ford dealers need inventory on the lot, because if a customer wants something that is not in stock, the dealer can't get it from Ford in a timely manner. Ask anyone who has placed a custom order with a Ford dealer.

So when Tesla starts doing it like Ford does it you see a problem with Tesla, but not with Ford?

I acknowledged that it is expensive and inefficient for every Ford dealer to keep large amounts of inventory in stock at all times. This is a negative for the traditional dealership system, but it doesn't put Ford at a competitive disadvantage relative to most other automakers, because GM, Toyota, BMW, etc. have similar systems.

Ford should be at a competitive disadvantage relative to Tesla, because Tesla has a non-traditional just-in-time direct-to-consumer system that should be more streamlined and efficient. However, if inventory is piling up at Tesla stores, then Tesla is losing that advantage.

Are you on the Ford Lightning forum telling Ford owners what a loser their truck is?

Ford has installed production capacity for 150,000 Lightnings per year. So realistically, the Lightning is not successful compared to Ford's expectations. But Lightning owners are already well aware that F-150 Lightning sales are only a tiny fraction of ICE F-150 sales; in fact, they are reminded of this every time they see an ICE F-150 -- which happens frequently.

Tesla is increasing Cybertruck sales quarter over quarter, the Cybertruck outsold the F-150 Lightning in it's first year of production, and now people want to claim the Cybertruck, which is the best selling electric truck in the world, is a failure?

The Cybertruck did outsell the (not very successful) Lightning in 2024. However, US Cybertruck sales peaked in 3Q 2024; they fell in 4Q 2024, and they will likely fall again in 1Q 2025 (we'll know in a couple weeks).

Where do all of you negative Nellies come from? The anti-Tesla Bot factory?

The goal is to not be either positive or negative, just realistic. The realistic perspective actually comes from the Giga Texas factory, where Tesla has installed production capacity of >125,000 Cybertrucks per year.

 

[Cyber Man]

.. better for all CT owners if there are more on the road.

Absolutely! Tesla/Elon hate is clearly visible in CT sales, but eventually when enough CTs are on the road, people will see CT for what it is - an incredible machine! That’s when we will see CT sales spike! I hope to see as many CTs on the road as possible. That’s the only antidote to the hate!

 

[YDR37]

The Cybertruck did outsell the (not very successful) Lightning in 2024. However, US Cybertruck sales peaked in 3Q 2024; they fell in 4Q 2024, and they will likely fall again in 1Q 2025 (we'll know in a couple weeks).

To follow up, the Cox Automotive 1Q 2025 EV sales report for the US just came out, which was sooner than I expected. It confirmed that CT sales fell from 4Q 2024 to 1Q 2025, so consistent with expectations.

Tesla reported combined global deliveries of 12,881 Model S, Model X and Cybertruck in 1Q 2025. Cybertruck deliveries in the US are probably around half of that, so something like 6,000-7,000. We should get more a more exact estimate by the end of the month.

Cox reported 6,460 CT sales in 1Q 2025, so consistent with expectations.

We can assume that US sales of the Model Y and Model 3 in 1Q 2025 were better than the CT. Four other EVs reportedly had over 8,000 sales in the US during 1Q 2025: the Ford Mustang Mach-e, the Chevy Equinox EV, the Honda Prologue, and the Hyundai Ioniq5. They should all outsell the CT, which would put the CT in 7th place at best.

In addition, there are other EVs that had 6,000-8,000 sales in 1Q 2025, like the BMW i4, Ford F-150 Lightning, VW id.4, and Chevy Blazer EV. They could potentially knock the CT down to 8th place or lower, depending on the final CT number.

The Cybertruck finished in 10th place, consistent with expectations. The top ten:

Tesla Model Y
Tesla Model 3
Ford Mustang Mach-3
Chevy Equinox EV
Honda Prologue
Hyundai Ioniq5
VW id.4
Ford F-150 Lighting
BMW i4
Tesla Cybertruck

 

[YDR37]

CT sales fell from 4Q 2024 to 1Q 2025 ... Cox reported 6,460 CT sales in 1Q 2025 ... The Cybertruck finished in 10th place

Cybertruck deliveries in 1Q 2025 were disappointing, especially given that the $7,500 federal tax credit became available. Tesla has just announced a less expensive RWD Cybertruck, which could help with sales. However, the RWD reportedly will not become available until June-July. So 2Q 2025 may also be a tough quarter.

 

[HaulingAss]

The Cybertruck did outsell the (not very successful) Lightning in 2024. However, US Cybertruck sales peaked in 3Q 2024; they fell in 4Q 2024, and they will likely fall again in 1Q 2025 (we'll know in a couple weeks).

The goal is to not be either positive or negative, just realistic. The realistic perspective actually comes from the Giga Texas factory, where Tesla has installed production capacity of >125,000 Cybertrucks per year.

No, your goal is to be illogically negative.

First, you admit that the Cybertruck outsold the Lightning last year, but then you say the Lightning wasn't very successful either. In fact, the Cybertruck outsold every other electric pickup, any rational person would say it was the MOST successful EV pickup (and not by a small margin). But you try to bend the obvious narrative into something negative. No other electric truck even came close to selling in the numbers the Cybertruck sold at and that is even more impressive considering that most of them were not in their first production year, which is almost always the lowest.

The next illogical thing you do to create Tesla negativity is you compare sequential sales of Cybertruck from Q3 to Q4 to Q1, claiming they fell each quarter. But everyone knows that sales of cars/trucks are seasonal and the only accepted comparison in the industry is the year ago quarter. Q3 is almost always the highest quarter of the full year of sales, Q4 is almost always lower, and Q1 is almost always the lowest sales quarter of the year. It's not surprising the Cybertruck followed this sales norm.

If you compare Cybertruck Q1 sales in the rational and accepted manner, you will see they are increasing rapidly from the comparable quarter last year.

The false claim that you are only trying to be realistic was exposed as soon as you deviated from industry accepted comparisons (like quarters) in order to create a false narrative. I'm not sure why you are trying to create false shade on Tesla, but it's as transparent as can be. In fact, a look at all of your posts shows that you are persistently negative on Tesla, Americas most innovative and efficient auto manufacturer.

 

[YDR37]

No, your goal is to be illogically negative.

First, you admit that the Cybertruck outsold the Lightning last year, but then you say the Lightning wasn't very successful either.

Both of these things can be true. There is no logical contradiction.

In fact, the Cybertruck outsold every other electric pickup, any rational person would say it was the MOST successful EV pickup (and not by a small margin).

I fully agree that the CT was the best-selling EV pickup in 2024, with 38,965 sales, compared to the Lightning's 33,510 sales (according to Cox). However, I don't think a difference of 5,455 per year is a large margin, and I am not shocked that the Lightning pulled ahead in 1Q 2025.

The next illogical thing you do to create Tesla negativity is you compare sequential sales of Cybertruck from Q3 to Q4 to Q1, claiming they fell each quarter. But everyone knows that sales of cars/trucks are seasonal and the only accepted comparison in the industry is the year ago quarter.

I agree that year-on-year comparisons are normally the way to go. However, comparing 1Q 2024 and 1Q 2025 CT sales is not a meaningful measure of CT demand, because Tesla was still ramping production in 1Q 2024.

For example, Cox's year-on-year data show that the Chevy Blazer EV had an astounding 931.2% increase from 1Q 2024 to 1Q 2025. Is this really meaningful? No, because GM was still ramping Blazer production in 1Q 2024 and was only able to deliver 600 units. By 1Q 2025, production was fully ramped and 6,187 units were delivered, but there wasn't actually a tenfold increase in demand -- the change reflects an increase in supply.

Similarly, Tesla only delivered 2,803 CTs in 1Q 2024. This is not because of low demand, it's because Tesla was still ramping production. Tesla would have sold more CTs in 1Q 2024 if they had them.

For the record, Cox's year-on-year data show 6,406 CT sales in 1Q 2025, which is up 128.5% over 1Q 2024. But again, this reflects an increase in in supply, not an increase in demand.

Also for the record, the supply issues were resolved by 2Q 2024. So I will cite year-on-year data going forward, for both the Cybertruck and the Blazer EV.

Q3 is almost always the highest quarter of the full year of sales, Q4 is almost always lower, and Q1 is almost always the lowest sales quarter of the year. It's not surprising the Cybertruck followed this sales norm.

If you compare Cybertruck Q1 sales in the rational and accepted manner, you will see they are increasing rapidly from the comparable quarter last year.

In the US, total vehicle sales were 3,866,852 in Q3 2024, and 4,180,679 in Q4 2024. So they rose 6% from Q3 to Q4.

For BEVs specifically, the Cox reports show 346,309 sales in Q3 2024, and 365,824 sales in Q4 2024. So BEV sales also rose from Q3 to Q4, also by about 6%.

So from Q3 to Q4 2024, vehicle sales rose, BEV sales rose, and the CT got a $20,000 discount with the introduction of the non-Foundation Series. The result: CT sales fell. That's disappointing.

I agree that Q1 is typically a slow quarter for vehicle sales. However, you wouldn't expect sales to drop by 50% relative to Q4. That's what happened to CT sales, even though the CT effectively got another $7,500 discount as the Federal tax credit took effect. That's disappointing.

The false claim that you are only trying to be realistic was exposed as soon as you deviated from industry accepted comparisons (like quarters) in order to create a false narrative. I'm not sure why you are trying to create false shade on Tesla, but it's as transparent as can be. In fact, a look at all of your posts shows that you are persistently negative on Tesla, Americas most innovative and efficient auto manufacturer.

Here's what I predicted about CT sales in 1Q 2025, prior to the release of the Cox 1Q 2025 report:

- They would probably be in the 6,000-7,000 range. Cox number: 6,406.
- The CT would be outsold by the MY, M3, Mach-e, Equinox, Prologue, and Ioniq5. All true.
- The CT could perhaps also be outsold by the Lightning, i4, id.4, and Blazer. Three out of four true; Blazer fell 219 units short.

These were not unfairly negative predictions. They were realistic.

 

[HaulingAss]

Both of these things can be true. There is no logical contradiction.

I fully agree that the CT was the best-selling EV pickup in 2024, with 38,965 sales, compared to the Lightning's 33,510 sales (according to Cox). However, I don't think a difference of 5,455 per year is a large margin, and I am not shocked that the Lightning pulled ahead in 1Q 2025.

I agree that year-on-year comparisons are normally the way to go. However, comparing 1Q 2024 and 1Q 2025 CT sales is not a meaningful measure of CT demand, because Tesla was still ramping production in 1Q 2024.

For example, Cox's year-on-year data show that the Chevy Blazer EV had an astounding 931.2% increase from 1Q 2024 to 1Q 2025. Is this really meaningful? No, because GM was still ramping Blazer production in 1Q 2024 and was only able to deliver 600 units. By 1Q 2025, production was fully ramped and 6,187 units were delivered, but there wasn't actually a tenfold increase in demand -- the change reflects an increase in supply.

Similarly, Tesla only delivered 2,803 CTs in 1Q 2024. This is not because of low demand, it's because Tesla was still ramping production. Tesla would have sold more CTs in 1Q 2024 if they had them.

For the record, Cox's year-on-year data show 6,406 CT sales in 1Q 2025, which is up 128.5% over 1Q 2024. But again, this reflects an increase in in supply, not an increase in demand.

Also for the record, the supply issues were resolved by 2Q 2024. So I will cite year-on-year data going forward, for both the Cybertruck and the Blazer EV.

In the US, total vehicle sales were 3,866,852 in Q3 2024, and 4,180,679 in Q4 2024. So they rose 6% from Q3 to Q4.

For BEVs specifically, the Cox reports show 346,309 sales in Q3 2024, and 365,824 sales in Q4 2024. So BEV sales also rose from Q3 to Q4, also by about 6%.

So from Q3 to Q4 2024, vehicle sales rose, BEV sales rose, and the CT got a $20,000 discount with the introduction of the non-Foundation Series. The result: CT sales fell. That's disappointing.

I agree that Q1 is typically a slow quarter for vehicle sales. However, you wouldn't expect sales to drop by 50% relative to Q4. That's what happened to CT sales, even though the CT effectively got another $7,500 discount as the Federal tax credit took effect. That's disappointing.

Here's what I predicted about CT sales in 1Q 2025, prior to the release of the Cox 1Q 2025 report:

- They would probably be in the 6,000-7,000 range. Cox number: 6,406.
- The CT would be outsold by the MY, M3, Mach-e, Equinox, Prologue, and Ioniq5. All true.
- The CT could perhaps also be outsold by the Lightning, i4, id.4, and Blazer. Three out of four true; Blazer fell 219 units short.

These were not unfairly negative predictions. They were realistic.

I guess I'm not as impressed with quarterly variations as you are. I don't like the noise that monthly and quarterly sales figures have in them because we often don't know what is causing the noise. That's why I'm always willing to wait for full year results.

It's not uncommon for the negativity you read about Tesla sales to be nothing more than cherry-picking short timeframes or small sales regions. Those same news sources rarely report when the next quarter is exceptionally high, they just ignore it. I stick to the bigger picture and it shows me the trends that are actually meaningful.

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