After disastrous sales and crashing resale values, the cheapest version of Tesla’s sci-fi pickup suddenly has a multi-week wait time. Is this the start of a comeback or just a last-gasp buying frenzy?
After months of being a commercial disaster, something curious is happening with the Tesla Cybertruck. For the first time since its troubled launch, Elon Musk’s futuristic pickup is showing signs of life.
The wait time for the Cybertruck’s cheapest model has suddenly stretched to over a month, suggesting a spike in demand for a vehicle that, until now, almost no one seemed to want. The question is whether this is a genuine turnaround for the polarizing pickup or just a temporary sugar rush fueled by a looming government deadline.From Hype to Flop: A Brutal Reality
The Cybertruck was never a normal vehicle. Unveiled in a now-infamous 2019 event where its supposedly “bulletproof” windows shattered on stage, the sci-fi pickup, with its radical stainless-steel design, was hyped by CEO Elon Musk as an indestructible truck that would change the world.
But after years of production delays, the reality has been brutal. In the second quarter of 2025, Tesla sold just 4,306 Cybertrucks, a staggering 50.8% plunge from the same period last year, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. The used car market has been just as unforgiving, with resale values crashing over 30% in the past year, according to data from CarGurus.
