Tesla will stop making the Cybertruck next year, according to CEO Elon Musk, who said on X that the company will use the factory space to build more two-seater Cybercab robotaxis.
The decision to wind down the futuristic, steel-clad EV comes after just a few short years of underwhelming sales. When Musk handed over the first few Cybertrucks in late 2023, he predicted Tesla would sell around 250,000 per year. It was supposed to be such a cornerstone of Tesla’s future that, before construction began, the company talked about its Texas factory as the “Cybertruck factory.” But Tesla has instead sold just tens of thousands — total — over the last three years.
The Edsel is probably the benchmark failure. It cost Ford about $2.5B in today’s money and they sold it for two whole years. It was promised to be a technological marvel, but was overpriced (sound familiar) and mechnically delicate (sound… familiar? lol).
The Pontiac Aztek should get a notable mention. It was probably mostly just ahead of its time, and owners liked them, but it was so widely panned that it died after four years.
The Delorean is, of course, so well known. Seeing it in Back to the Future, many kids (and probably adults) surely wanted one. But they were mechanically terrible and fewer than 9,000 were built. Didn’t help that John Delorean was terrible at running the company and then was investigated by the FBI.
In 1974, New Brunswick heavily subsidized development of the Bricklin SV-1, supposed to be a very safe sports car that couldn’t crash. It featured an integrated roll cage, massive 5-mph impact bumpers, gullwing doors, and acrylic-bonded body panels. Alas, the car was prone to overheating, and if crashed and flipped, the gull wing doors would clamp shut, which is not great for survivability.
There’s plenty more, but those are probably the most notable. The Cybertruck is probably the most notable failure that involves association with Nazis ever since Volkswagen, though.