Musk Says Tesla Will Refund Cybertruck Deposits for 'a Lot of People' as Orders Exceed Remaining Production

Since Musk said Friday, Nov. 6, that Tesla would wind down Cybertruck production at Gigafactory Texas around mid-2027, the company has added one concrete consequence: some people who ordered the truck will not get one.

In an X post Monday, Nov. 9, Musk wrote: "We will try to make as many as possible before shutting down the line in about 8 months, but will have to return deposits for a lot of people." He said the order rate "far exceeds" the production rate.

Tesla has not disclosed how many customers will get refunds or what the outstanding deposits add up to. It also has not said how many trucks it plans to build in the remaining window.

Musk rejects the profitability explanation

Musk used the same post to dispute claims that Tesla is ending the truck because it loses money. He said the "opportunity cost of the complexity of Cybertruck is vastly outweighed by the value of incremental Cybercab production."

That is a statement about factory floor space and engineering attention, not about margins. Tesla does not break out Cybertruck revenue or profit, so the claim cannot be checked against company numbers. Tesla's "other models" category, which includes the pickup, makes up only a small share of total sales.

On Saturday, Musk said production would continue another eight to nine months before Tesla shifts to scaling the Cybercab. "There will never be another vehicle like it," he wrote.

A company statement to customers would settle several open points. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment on what the plan means for current owners. It also has not said whether Cybertruck manufacturing could move to another plant or end altogether. Texas is the only known Tesla factory equipped for the truck's stainless steel body.

Orders versus sales

Musk's "orders exceed production" line sits awkwardly beside the sales record. Kelley Blue Book data shows U.S. Cybertruck sales fell 48% in 2025, from 38,965 to 20,237. Musk once projected roughly 250,000 a year, and Tesla built its Texas lines for that capacity.

Industry estimates put total sales since deliveries began in late 2023 at about 71,000. Cox Automotive data cited in our earlier reporting shows the six electric pickups it tracks sold about 32,500 units through September, down 53% from a year earlier.

Tesla has not published its order count or its production rate, so no one outside the company can say how large the gap is. A shrinking production window could produce a backlog even if demand stays flat. Musk's statement that orders exceed production does not say demand has recovered.

Wall Street analyst Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives & Co. told CBS News the "writing was on the wall" because of the truck's high price and low demand. He said ending production frees Musk to focus on robotics and robotaxis.

Former Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer, speaking about the truck's difficulties abroad, said: "It doesn't make sense to keep it going when it's not meeting its targets. Every rational auto guy would say the same." Palmer also said the truck's sharp-edged design cannot get through crash rules that account for pedestrian impact.

Pricing and related-party buyers

The truck launched with a pitch of roughly $40,000 for a base version, which never materialized. The cheapest Cybertruck today starts above $80,000, though the price briefly dropped to $60,000 earlier this year.

Some of the buying came from inside Musk's own business network. SpaceX bought $131 million worth of Cybertrucks from Tesla in 2025, according to its S-1 registration statement ahead of its IPO. Musk leads SpaceX and is its largest shareholder.

A last-call rush could lift sales as the line closes, though a scarcity bump is unlikely to approach the old projections.

What replaces it

The freed-up space goes to the Cybercab, a two-seat vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals. Tesla began producing it in Texas in April and started offering paid Cybercab rides in Austin in September through its Robotaxi service. Its success depends on fully driverless technology that Tesla has not yet shown at scale.

Tesla also announced it would add San Antonio to its robotaxi network, with rides starting at 5 a.m. local time Monday, Nov. 9. It did not say what the service area is, how many vehicles will run, or whether passengers will ride in Cybercabs or modified Model Ys.

The Cybertruck is the third Tesla model cut this year, after the Model S and Model X, which also end production in 2026.

The open question for customers with deposits is who gets a truck and who gets a refund. Tesla has not said how it will decide, and the company has not said when refunds will begin.