Tesla slaps $10K discounts on Cybertruck as sales skid and inventory builds up
Tesla has reportedly scaled back production and boosted discounts for its much-hyped Cybertruck as sales skid and inventory builds up.
Elon Musk’s EV company has reduced production targets for multiple Cybertruck assembly lines, Business Insider reported — just a month after Tesla paused deliveries of the futuristic vehicle due to rampant reports of trims coming unglued.
Sources told Business Insider that some production lines are now running at only a fraction of their previous capacity, while staffing levels have been significantly reduced.
“It feels a lot like they’re filtering people out,” one Tesla employee remarked to Business Insider, noting that “the parking lot keeps getting emptier.”
Additionally, the automaker has redirected some Cybertruck production workers to focus on the Model Y line, a shift that has been ongoing since January.
The Post has sought comment from Tesla.
This reallocation follows similar production adjustments first initiated in December 2024, when Tesla informed employees about forthcoming schedule and output target reductions.
Despite bold predictions by Musk, the Cybertruck has significantly underperformed the company’s stated goal of selling a quarter of a million units per year.
Initially unveiled in 2019, the Cybertruck generated enormous excitement, boasting state-of-the-art aesthetics and impressive specifications.
By late 2023, when the truck entered production, Musk expressed confidence that annual output would eventually reach 250,000 units by 2025.
Yet reality has not matched those ambitious goals.
As of 2025, Tesla’s annual Cybertruck sales pace stands at approximately 25,000 units, a 10th of Musk’s forecast.
A report earlier this month indicated Tesla began the second quarter of the year with around 2,400 Cybertrucks in inventory, a stockpile valued at over $200 million.
Among these vehicles are older 2024 Cybertrucks, many of which are ineligible for federal tax credits, along with some “Foundation Series” units, which were discontinued in October 2024.
The unsold vehicles have left the automaker burdened with inventory that is now six months old or more.
Facing these inventory pressures, Tesla has significantly ramped up discounts on the Cybertruck.
Recent promotions have offered price cuts up to $10,000 per vehicle, with most discounts averaging around $8,000.
Despite these aggressive incentives, the automaker has managed to clear only about 100 vehicles from its surplus inventory since the beginning of the month.
In an attempt to mitigate these challenges, Tesla has made substantial reductions to its production output at its Gigafactory in Texas.
According to Cox Automotive estimates, Tesla delivered only 6,406 Cybertrucks in the first quarter of 2025 — half of what was achieved in the previous quarter.
While Musk once boasted over one million reservations prior to the truck’s release, fewer than 50,000 Cybertrucks have actually been delivered to date, as disclosed in a recall filing from March 20.
This slump occurs amidst broader sales declines across Tesla’s vehicle lineup, with first-quarter delivery results for 2025 down 13% compared to the same period in the previous year.
Market pressures, intensified competition and public protests linked to Musk’s role at the Department of Government Efficiency have further compounded Tesla’s troubles.
Tesla’s share price has declined roughly 40% year-to-date, though it remains higher by more than 53% compared to the previous year.
Despite these setbacks, Musk recently reaffirmed Tesla’s ambition to double its US vehicle production within the next two years.
