The Tesla Cybertruck was supposed to be the future. Revealed in a now infamous 2019 event, where its supposedly “bulletproof” windows smashed on stage, the science fiction spike, with its polarizing stainless steel design, was attached by CEO Elon Musk as an indestructible vehicle, which would completely prevent the lucrative truck market.
Today that future looks like a business flop. The prices for used cybertrucks are in a free fall, an impressive collapse, which has become the most visible symbol of the deep and growing crisis at Tesla.
According to new data from the car market CargurusThe average price of used Cybertruck plunged swaying 30.35% in the last year, now hovering around $ 84.027. This dizzying fall for what was once one of the most expected vehicles in history, is a major blow for Musk, confirming that the CyberTruck failed to find a main audience.
The collapse in the market has mirrors its catastrophic activity in the new market. In the second quarter of this year, Tesla sold only 4.306 Cybertrucks, a decline of 50.8% compared to the same period in 2024, according to Cox Automotive data Blue Book.
Brand-wide collapse
Cybertruck’s failure is the main edge of a much larger problem for the company. The same Cargurus data reveals that Tesla prices used at all have now fallen below the average for the entire US used car market.
As of early August, the average price for all used vehicles in the United States was $ 28,048. The average price of used Tesla was only $ 27,852, down a steep 14% per year after a year. This is a shocking development for a brand that has always ordered super -price, especially since the market average includes budget cars. It shows a fundamental imbalance: a growing number of owners are looking to download their Tesla, but fewer buyers are ready to enter.
The damage is wide. The average used price of model s declines almost 23% per year after a year. The luxury SUV of Model X descends almost 16%. Even the Model Y, the world’s best -selling electric vehicle, has seen its used price drop almost 12%.
The mouse factor
So what happened? The answer lies in the company’s ever-inflicted general manager. Elon Musk’s increasingly controversial political actions alienated the core of Tesla’s original customer base: environmentally aware, liberal-buying buyers.
His advanced role in the infamous department of government performance of the Trump administration (DOGE)-which decreased federal budgets and fired employees-together with his promotion of far-right and white suprematic ideas in his social network X, fundamentally damaged the Tesla brand. The result was global protests outside Tesla shows and a sharp fall in the company’s sales and profits.
In the second quarter, the driver’s net income fell 16.3% from the same period last year. While Musk has recently retired from its official government role to focus on Tesla, the path to repair of the company’s image looks incredibly long.
The Cybertruck, once the final symbol of Musk’s futuristic view, has now become the final symbol of the decline of its brand.
Our take
The CyberTruck used market crash is both a symptom and a signal. It emphasizes decreasing demand, production missteps and reputation risk. To counter Tesla, it may need to reconsider prices, marketing strategy and public position. Until then, even Tesla’s futuristic flagship cannot override the declining brand vitality.
