Elon Musk's Tesla has long refused to publish a breakdown of vehicle deliveries per model — and judging by how few Cybertrucks the company has sold, there could be a good reason for the company hiding that data.
On Thursday, a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that the EV maker was recalling the truck for the eighth time since it went on sale in November 2023.
The reason for the latest recall was a giant piece of metal that was haphazardly glued to the exterior, which was at risk of flying off at fast speeds.
What the filing also revealed was how many Cybertrucks the carmaker had actually sold so far: a measly 46,000.
As Electrek reports, that would mean Tesla will only have delivered somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 trucks in the first quarter of this year, down from between 10,000 and 12,000 Cybertrucks in the last two quarters respectively.
That's despite Tesla desperately trying to boost sales numbers. The truck even became eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit this quarter. Tesla also threw in free supercharging late last year in an apparent attempt to clear out inventory.
In spite of those efforts, the truck's desirability seems to be falling off a cliff. It's become a political lightning rod thanks to Musk's abhorrent behavior, attracting plenty of vandalism.
Whether the company will be able to resuscitate its massive, highly divisive vehicle with a $61,000 RWD variant, which is expected to roll off the lot later this year, remains to be seen. The still-expensive rear-wheel drive-only version — which Musk announced would only cost $40,000 in 2019 — will reportedly come without an automatic tonneau cover or AC power outlets in the truck bed.
The EV maker is already in serious financial straits. Tesla has wiped out all gains it has made since president Donald Trump's election and is down over 36 percent year to date.
Meanwhile, investors have accused Musk of abandoning his automaker in favor of gutting the federal government with the help of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency Department, leading to renewed calls for his resignation.
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