SpaceX Buys 1,300 Cybertrucks, Masking Over 50% Fall in External Sales
In Q4 SpaceX purchased over 1,300 Cybertrucks—nearly 20% of Tesla’s deliveries—concealing a more than 50% year-over-year drop in external Cybertruck sales. At a starting price near $60,000, consumer demand for electric pickups appears to be softening even as Tesla elevates Cybertruck as its flagship model.
1. SpaceX Cybertruck Purchases
In the fourth quarter SpaceX acquired 1,300 Cybertrucks—approximately one in five of Tesla’s total Cybertruck shipments—boosting reported deliveries and obscuring underlying consumer demand for the new model.
2. Underlying Demand Weakness
Excluding internal purchases by SpaceX, Cybertruck sales would have plunged more than 50% year-over-year, indicating that consumer appetite for a $60,000 electric pickup remains tepid amid broader EV market cooling.
3. Strategic Flagship Shift
Tesla has declared Cybertruck its premier model as it phases out higher-end variants of the Model S and Model X, signaling a strategic pivot to capitalize on new product hype despite mixed early demand signals.