Tesla refunds Cybertruck deposits as production ends mid-2027 for robotaxi pivot
Tesla will refund deposits to many Cybertruck reservation holders because order backlogs exceed what its Texas factory can produce before shutting down the line around June/July 2027. Elon Musk disclosed this on X Monday, saying the company will add an extra production shift to fulfill as many orders as possible in the next eight months but "will have to return deposits for a lot of people." The wind-down clears capacity for Cybercab robotaxi production, marking Tesla's strategic pivot from consumer EVs to autonomous vehicles.
Cybertruck sales collapsed 48% in 2025 to 20,237 units (down from 38,965 in 2024), far below Musk's 250,000 annual target. The pickup has faced 11 recalls since its late-2023 launch. Meanwhile, Musk targets finalising next-gen AI6 chips for self-driving and humanoid robots by December 2026, and regained trillionaire status in October 2026 after a $88 billion wealth surge from Tesla and SpaceX shares.
For Nigerian investors and tech watchers: Tesla shares rose 3% pre-earnings despite the Cybertruck retreat. The move signals where the global auto leader sees growth—not in niche electric pickups but in scalable autonomy. Starlink's Nigerian operations remain separate, but Musk's capital allocation choices affect his entire ecosystem.
As the world's most valuable carmaker bets its future on robotaxis over consumer vehicles, what does this signal for Nigeria's eventual EV transition—will we leapfrog to autonomy or stay stuck in petrol?