Tesla Cybertruck appears to be facing significant sales challenges. After initial hype faded, and over a million reservations turned out to be as real as unicorns, Tesla is now enabling leasing options and free upgrades to move its inventory of the futuristic pickup truck. The company’s recent silence on the Cybertruck, even omitting it from their earnings call, speaks volumes about the situation.

Tesla initially projected sales of 500,000 Cybertrucks annually and established production capacity at the Giga Texas for 250,000 units per year. After working through the initial reservation backlog with fewer than 40,000 deliveries, the automaker is now struggling to sell the remaining vehicles.

  • LovableSidekick@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Probably would have helped if it didn’t look cobbled together out of sheet metal for a low-budget post-apocalypse movie. I picture Humungus standing up in it chasing Mel Gibson.

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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    3 days ago

    I just had a talk with a friend of mine in southern Ontario who lives in a farming rural area. He likes cars and often does searches for used vehicles in his area. In a 200km area around Brantford, there are over 200 used Teslas on sale down there over the past month or two because people are dumping them because they don’t like the brand.

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      The well moneyed sort who buy Teslas also like to change cars more often than the rest of us. Some of them are going to even more expensive brands like Rivian, and there’s a huge array of less expensive, more practical options.

      Here’s how I personally see the brand transformation. I don’t believe these people are so principled that they are dumping these cars in protest. It’s more that the appeal that used to be there: of being part of the future, of moving off gas and embracing clean tech to help save the world… that little halo just isn’t part of the brand anymore. I see Teslas all the time where I live with license plates like “BYE CO2” and “LOL GAS.” But no one is going to hop on board that Tesla hype train any longer. They are no longer novel, they no longer virtue-signal and yes have actually become a bit icky. But I think we’re just seeing the end of the mirage, not really any kind affirmative lashback.

  • Brkdncr@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    This should surprise no one. The reception was poor, delivery was poor. It’s a niche market item in an existing niche market. On top of that, the de facto spokesperson of Tesla isn’t well liked by a lot of potential buyers.

    • Hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 days ago

      “niche market,” is a way of saying they made a bad product few want.

      pickup trucks are hardly a niche product especially in the us

    • ramble81@lemm.ee
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      3 days ago

      Just wait till DOGE start requiring it for all government vehicles

    • corroded@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      “Isn’t well liked” is quite the understatement. “Despised” is more like it. I actually like the way the cybertruck looks, I think the technology is interesting, and if I really wanted to, I could probably afford one.

      I wouldn’t drive one if it was given to me for free. I’d rather take a taxi every day than drive a public display of support for the treasonous fascist manchild that owns the company.

      Tesla’s second biggest problem is their shit standards and quality control. Their first biggest problem is their shit corporate leadership.

      • Yerbouti@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        I swear that every time I saw one, the people around would point and laugh. 100k+ to drive a car that is always broken and mocked by everyone is quite expensive.

    • TheFogan@programming.dev
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      3 days ago

      I mean off the bat that’s one of the worse combinations of people/product I’ve ever seen. I mean off the bat electric car’s target market is people that want to think they are doing something better for the environment.

      So… then the guy making them goes loudly in the “fuck the environment” group.

      To top it off though, Cybertruck itself always confuses me. I don’t know who the target audience is. The original tesla’s I could look at and think, that’s a cool car, if they ever came down in price I’d be interested.

      Cybertruck you look at and think… What a car would look like if you scaled up games from the 32/64 bit console era and made them HD without increasing the polygon count.

      • aramis87@fedia.io
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        3 days ago

        My problem with Tesla is that so many things seem half-unthinking, half-finished or half-assed:

        Unthinking: I know! I’ll put a ledge in from of the headlights, so snow can pile up while I’m driving!

        Unfinished: all the seam mismatches and eternally unfinished-but-really-close! full self-driving (it ain’t gonna happen).

        Half-assed: that recall they had to do because sometimes the latch doesn’t catch properly and the hood flies open when you’re driving and blocks your view. Tesla’s solution isn’t to fix or replace the hood latch so this doesn’t happen; they push a software up that monitors the hood latch and pops up a warning, telling you to pull over and check the hood latch. Because apparently fixing the issue that their poor design (see #1) and bad implementation (see #2) doesn’t warrant an actual fix, they’re just going to fob the risk , the cost and the work off to the customer.

        • Kichae@lemmy.ca
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          3 days ago

          I like the theory that Tesla had a long term roadmap before Elon scooped it up, and that he wasn’t able to do too much to disrupt that in the early years because he was focused on LARPing as Tony Stark on the Internet, and the team that developed around him to insulate the company from him were reasonably good at their jobs. But even the best can only hold back so few bad ideas while keeping up the illusion, and the result has been gradually diminishing amount of ass.

          Until that roadmap ran out, and/or Elon stopped being distracted, resulting in them designing and building the Elon.

      • thanksforallthefish@literature.cafe
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        3 days ago

        The target audience is monied tech bro millenials who really wanted a warthog out of Halo.

        The problem is that the overlap between tech bros and nazi lovers is definitely not 100%, probably not even 10%.

        • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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          3 days ago

          The problem is that the overlap between tech bros and nazi lovers is definitely not 100%, probably not even 10%.

          Dont be so sure about that ratio. Plently of “got mine, im all bootstraps” tech bros. Id put the number at about 70/30% against nazis, but no better.

        • catloaf@lemm.ee
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          2 days ago

          If they wanted a Warthog, they should have gotten a Jeep.

          Or built one. There are at least three fully functioning Warthogs out there, I think. I’ve seen the one at Weta.

      • moleverine@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        We’re not all buying EVs for the environment. I bought an EV because I think the car is cool and it’s really enjoyable to drive. It’s nice that the “gas” is also significantly cheaper, but that wasn’t high on my list of reasons to get the thing, either.

        The EV owners I’ve talked to didn’t buy them for the environment, either, but I haven’t talked to any Leaf owners or anything. Maybe they’re more environmentally conscious. It being better for the environment long term is definitely nice, and I hope progress continues on batteries made with less toxic components.

        Thankfully, I did not buy a Tesla and they were never on my list of options because of Elon. So he definitely alienated a customer due to him being an awful human being. I also won’t use any of their charging stations, since I don’t want them to profit off of me.

        • proudblond@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          You could say we bought our Teslas “for the environment” in a way, though a bit roundabout. When we bought them (2018), it was after having previously leasing a Leaf which had shit mileage and poor performance over 40mph. We wanted to signal to the industry with our dollars that we wanted the EV movement to succeed. Because apparently money is the only thing they listen to. We knew full well that EVs were only a step toward a greener future or whatever but we wanted the industry to take that step and understand that being environmentally friendlier was important.

    • snooggums@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Plus the initial sales were to people who had already committed to preorders at a lower price for a truck that was hyped up to be far better than the end result.

      Cybertrucks are basically No Man’s Sky but without the possibility of being good in a half decade.

      • Optional@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Cybertrucks are basically No Man’s Sky but without the possibility of being good in a half decade.

        Dag, yo. 🔥

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      It is jaw dropping that only 40,000 of their one million+ reservations actually turned into sales. Thats 4% conversion!

      Also, trucks are not a niche market. And there is pretty minimal overlap between the kind of douche who wants one of these and people who object to Musk’s behavior. It’s designed for his cult, especially.

  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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    3 days ago

    The best thing they could do for their sales is get rid of all ties to Elon Musk.

      • snooggums@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Also have anyone who understands basic car design point out why shit like door opening buttons are a terrible idea in emergencies. Or why requiring the doors to lock during a software update is stupid. Or why putting electronics not designed for extreme heat is terrible. Or that trying to use cameras in bad weather isn’t any better than human eyes…

        • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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          2 days ago

          I’m sure people pointed out all of those things and were overruled by the Nazi manchild in charge.

        • andyburke@fedia.io
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          3 days ago

          It’s all 5d chess technology that us plebs would never understand, what with our preference for simple, maintainable shit.

      • ms.lane@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Or even better, get Olivier Boulet (of Mitsubishi infamy) to do their future designs so we can put the company out of its misery.

    • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I definitely would’ve considered Tesla as my first EV but as of now they’re dead to me. If he was completely gone then that actually becomes a selling point for me.

    • CosmoNova@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      While true this still won’t make the Cyberdrumpf meet EU regulations. You can’t make it street legal here.

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      They’ve gone a long way on flash and sex appeal but I think a little straightforward practical value would help them a lot. The market is awash in good competition now so their novelty effect is gone. And the sex appeal has ended for everyone except for 40k cyberdouches.

  • Neineon77@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 days ago

    I remember posting about how a guy with a cybertruck would be an immediate no go for me and I was told by a guy I was being too judgy lol

    • PagPag@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      It’s a solid real world filter.

      This is definitely more acceptable than “no social media” being a red flag. Got that one before lol

        • Psythik@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          You’re literally using social media right now.

          Edit: Downvote me all you want, but the fact of the matter is that Lemmy is social media. There’s media on here, and we discuss it in a social setting. Literally the definition of “social media”.

        • wise_pancake@lemmy.ca
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          2 days ago

          To a lot of people yes, but I think they’re more worried there’s nothing that proves you’re a real person, if that makes sense.

          I see it as a liability more than anything. Your data is forever.

        • deus@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Not really, but since we live in a world where most people are happily sharing their lives online it’s easy to imagine how not using social media might make people think you have something to hide and, therefore, can’t be trusted.

          • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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            2 days ago

            Few it fewer people are actually using Facebook and similar to share their lives because it just feels really intrusive.

            Mostly because how much advertising is now showed down your throats.

            If they want to know more about me I can share my camera feed but it’s like 98% cat photos.

    • Empricorn@feddit.nl
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      2 days ago

      Being honest, if I heard about a woman that has cybertruck red flags (assuming you’re cis/het), that’s genuinely more attractive to me.

    • Grimy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      This is valid just on taste alone. The thing was ugly even before Elon started his descent into madness.

    • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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      2 days ago

      Rich enough to own a cyber truck, but not bright enough not to own a cyber truck. Yeah it’s what they “call look at me” energy.

      Politics notwithstanding people like that are just tiring to be around.

  • notfromhere@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    All they had to do was build a solid, reliable truck, and not be fascist. Instead they build a poorly glued together piece of shit and sieg heil. I fucking hate this timeline.

  • JordanZ@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Who would have thought the preorders all dried up when they advertised it at $39,900 but launched it at $60,990.

  • GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    I’m betting high odds he will force the federal government to buy them under the guise of a green EV transition. With trump’s full blessing, of course.

  • Toribor@corndog.social
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    2 days ago

    So… how long before the federal government buys up a couple million of these things…?

  • Glytch@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    I wish journalist would stop calling this PS 1 Pontiac Aztek “futuristic”; it just highlights how shitty our future is going to be.