Victor Tangermann
Sat, December 20, 2025
FUTURISM
SpaceX bought over 1,000 Cybertrucks from Tesla, a number that could rise to 2,000 over time, according to Electrek.
Now that EV tax incentives have gone up in smoke, Tesla is expected to disappoint once again with its Q4 sales.
Despite a pessimistic sales forecast, Tesla’s shares have skyrocketed and are up almost 50 percent over the last six months — showing yet again how the company’s $1.5 trillion market cap is largely untethered from the success of its core business.
But that hasn’t stopped Tesla CEO Elon Musk from seemingly putting his thumb on the scales. As an insider source told Electrek, the billionaire’s space company SpaceX has bought over 1,000 Cybertrucks from Tesla, a number that could rise to 2,000 over time.
In other words, one of Musk’s other companies has allegedly spent north of $100 million on Teslas that it’s hard to imagine it finding a use for — and in what looks an awful lot like an embarrassing ploy to save face for the EV maker.
A video circulating on Musk’s social media platform, X, shows an enormous number of Cybertrucks parked outside of SpaceX’s facilities in South Texas.
Considering the pickup EV has been an enormous commercial flop, only selling barely a fraction of Musk’s promised 250,000 to 500,000 Cybertrucks a year, there’s a good chance Tesla is using the mercurial CEO’s other venture to boost the numbers ahead of the end of an otherwise disastrous year.
As Musk continues to alienate his customers following his embrace of far-right ideologies, the company is struggling to close sales. Tesla’s US sales dropped to a nearly four-year low in November, as Reuters reported last week. A cheaper, stripped-down version of its Model Y SUV failed to reverse the downward trend.
According to registration data, the company sold just 5,385 Cybertrucks in the US in Q3, a precipitous drop of 62 percent compared to the same period last year.
Apart from being a major commercial flop, the Cybertruck has also been recalled eight times for sometimes-glaring design issues, and criticized for its relatively low range and much higher than originally advertised price.
Nonetheless, Musk is adamant that the truck is a success story, tweeting earlier this month that it’s an “incredible vehicle” and “our best ever from Tesla.”
How committed the EV maker still is to producing the stainless steel monstrosity remains to be seen. Musk has been trying to transition Tesla away from selling traditional vehicles, doubling down on a robotaxi service and humanoid robots instead.
In the meantime, Tesla’s core business is looking worse for wear. Beyond drying up demand, the company is facing fresh regulatory headwinds, with California threatening the company with a 30-day car sales ban in the state for misleading its customers with the term “Autopilot.”
Despite its erroneous marketing terms, Tesla vehicles — at least the ones being sold to the public — are not able to fully drive themselves, and require the driver to be able to take over control at any time.
More on Tesla: Old Teslas Are Falling Apart as They Age
Now that EV tax incentives have gone up in smoke, Tesla is expected to disappoint once again with its Q4 sales.
Despite a pessimistic sales forecast, Tesla’s shares have skyrocketed and are up almost 50 percent over the last six months — showing yet again how the company’s $1.5 trillion market cap is largely untethered from the success of its core business.
But that hasn’t stopped Tesla CEO Elon Musk from seemingly putting his thumb on the scales. As an insider source told Electrek, the billionaire’s space company SpaceX has bought over 1,000 Cybertrucks from Tesla, a number that could rise to 2,000 over time.
In other words, one of Musk’s other companies has allegedly spent north of $100 million on Teslas that it’s hard to imagine it finding a use for — and in what looks an awful lot like an embarrassing ploy to save face for the EV maker.
A video circulating on Musk’s social media platform, X, shows an enormous number of Cybertrucks parked outside of SpaceX’s facilities in South Texas.
Considering the pickup EV has been an enormous commercial flop, only selling barely a fraction of Musk’s promised 250,000 to 500,000 Cybertrucks a year, there’s a good chance Tesla is using the mercurial CEO’s other venture to boost the numbers ahead of the end of an otherwise disastrous year.
As Musk continues to alienate his customers following his embrace of far-right ideologies, the company is struggling to close sales. Tesla’s US sales dropped to a nearly four-year low in November, as Reuters reported last week. A cheaper, stripped-down version of its Model Y SUV failed to reverse the downward trend.
According to registration data, the company sold just 5,385 Cybertrucks in the US in Q3, a precipitous drop of 62 percent compared to the same period last year.
Apart from being a major commercial flop, the Cybertruck has also been recalled eight times for sometimes-glaring design issues, and criticized for its relatively low range and much higher than originally advertised price.
Nonetheless, Musk is adamant that the truck is a success story, tweeting earlier this month that it’s an “incredible vehicle” and “our best ever from Tesla.”
How committed the EV maker still is to producing the stainless steel monstrosity remains to be seen. Musk has been trying to transition Tesla away from selling traditional vehicles, doubling down on a robotaxi service and humanoid robots instead.
In the meantime, Tesla’s core business is looking worse for wear. Beyond drying up demand, the company is facing fresh regulatory headwinds, with California threatening the company with a 30-day car sales ban in the state for misleading its customers with the term “Autopilot.”
Despite its erroneous marketing terms, Tesla vehicles — at least the ones being sold to the public — are not able to fully drive themselves, and require the driver to be able to take over control at any time.
More on Tesla: Old Teslas Are Falling Apart as They Age
Elon Musk Calls Cybertruck Tesla's 'Best Ever' — But Sales Say Otherwise
Badar Shaikh
December 8, 2025
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC
December 8, 2025
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has touted the company's controversial Cybertruck as the best-ever Tesla, but the sales data tells a different story about the Cybertruck's successes (or lack thereof).
Cybertruck Is An ‘Incredible' Vehicle, Elon Musk Says
Musk took to the social media platform X on Thursday to express his thoughts on the truck, calling it an "incredible" vehicle. "Our best ever from Tesla," Musk said, as he quoted a post that showcased the Cybertruck's ability to operate in sub-zero temperatures and gas savings compared to traditional ICE-powered pickup trucks.
Tesla's Cybertruck Woes
Despite Musk's claims, SpaceX and xAI stepping in to buy the trucks, as well as Twitter (now X) founder Jack Dorsey backing the EV pickup truck, the Cybertruck has fared poorly in terms of sales, failing to translate the hype into units sold off the EV giant's showroom lots. Tesla, in Q3 2025, sold just 5,385 Cybertruck units in the U.S., representing a 62.6% YoY decline.
Recent reports also suggest that Tesla could be sitting on tens of thousands of unsold units of the truck, as the automaker also discontinued the affordable RWD Long-Range version of the pickup, which retailed for $69,990 in the U.S. just five months after launching the trim level.
The company also tried a shift in marketing strategy to help accelerate sales growth, positioning it as a rugged, lifestyle vehicle, but it hasn't helped boost adoption among customers. Tesla also recently issued a recall for the Cybertruck, recalling 6,197 units of the vehicle due to a lightbar issue.
Cybertruck's Polarizing Design, Lawsuits
Another aspect of the truck is its polarizing design, which, according to investor Gary Black of the Future Fund LLC, holds the product back from selling. Meanwhile, Ross Gerber, co-founder of Gerber Kawasaki, who owns a Cybertruck himself, opined that Tesla should discontinue the pickup amid poor sales.
However, the design has also resulted in lawsuits, with parents of 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the automaker for an accident in November 2024.
The parents allege that Tsukahara was trapped inside the flaming vehicle due to the Cybertruck's electronic door system. The flush door handles have been a point of contention among safety experts.
Musk's Million Bookings Claim
When it was showcased and bookings opened, Musk claimed that there were more than a million bookings for the Cybertruck. However, the company has, to date, sold approximately 57,000 units, with over 16,097 units sold in the first three quarters of 2025 so far, according to Kelley Blue Book data.
Tesla, earlier this year, began accepting Cybertruck trade-ins, offering close to $65,400 for an All-wheel-drive 2024 version, which was available at $100,000 at launch, representing a 34% decline in value.
Falling EV Demand
However, a broader look at the market would show that, besides the Cybertruck's poor performance, demand for EVs has fallen since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.
The administration has made a series of anti-EV decisions, like the ending of the $7,500 Federal EV Credit and the recent relaxation of Corporate Average Fuel Economy norms, which have affected EV demand.
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) recently paused production of the F-150 Lightning EV Pickup truck, and is reportedly considering scrapping the production altogether. Interestingly, the pickup is the best-selling EV pickup truck in the U.S. The company's EV sales also fell by over 60% in November.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM), too, scaled back on EV production as it laid off close to 3,400 workers across multiple EV facilities, as the company, during its third-quarter earnings call, announced it took on a $1.6 billion charge related to EVs.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Another aspect of the truck is its polarizing design, which, according to investor Gary Black of the Future Fund LLC, holds the product back from selling. Meanwhile, Ross Gerber, co-founder of Gerber Kawasaki, who owns a Cybertruck himself, opined that Tesla should discontinue the pickup amid poor sales.
However, the design has also resulted in lawsuits, with parents of 19-year-old Krysta Tsukahara filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the automaker for an accident in November 2024.
The parents allege that Tsukahara was trapped inside the flaming vehicle due to the Cybertruck's electronic door system. The flush door handles have been a point of contention among safety experts.
Musk's Million Bookings Claim
When it was showcased and bookings opened, Musk claimed that there were more than a million bookings for the Cybertruck. However, the company has, to date, sold approximately 57,000 units, with over 16,097 units sold in the first three quarters of 2025 so far, according to Kelley Blue Book data.
Tesla, earlier this year, began accepting Cybertruck trade-ins, offering close to $65,400 for an All-wheel-drive 2024 version, which was available at $100,000 at launch, representing a 34% decline in value.
Falling EV Demand
However, a broader look at the market would show that, besides the Cybertruck's poor performance, demand for EVs has fallen since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.
The administration has made a series of anti-EV decisions, like the ending of the $7,500 Federal EV Credit and the recent relaxation of Corporate Average Fuel Economy norms, which have affected EV demand.
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) recently paused production of the F-150 Lightning EV Pickup truck, and is reportedly considering scrapping the production altogether. Interestingly, the pickup is the best-selling EV pickup truck in the U.S. The company's EV sales also fell by over 60% in November.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM), too, scaled back on EV production as it laid off close to 3,400 workers across multiple EV facilities, as the company, during its third-quarter earnings call, announced it took on a $1.6 billion charge related to EVs.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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