'Worst Possible News': Cybertruck Fans Melt Down After Tesla Cancels Its Wheeled Electric Dumpster

As anyone with even a passive knowledge of our existence could have told you, Elon Musk's announcement that Tesla will kill the Cybertruck next year was big news here at Jalopnik. After three-ish years, we finally defeated our mortal enemy. The Cybertruck will die, and Jalopnik still lives. Of course, you had to know there'd be at least a few die-hard Cybertruck fans who chugged the Kool-Aid and may have cried when they heard the news. Thankfully, our friends over at Wired tracked down many of the more enjoyable meltdowns, purely for your entertainment.

Before we dive too deep into the a few examples, though, can we just take a second to appreciate how perfectly Wired journalist Miles Klee summed up the Cybertruck's woes? It's beautiful:

Automotive industry observers were quick to surmise that the vehicle's weak sales, delayed deliveries, inflated pricing, numerous recalls, and connection to Musk's far-right MAGA politics may also have factored into the decision. Longtime detractors of the polarizing steel-paneled truck, originally positioned as an electric rival to classic gas-powered pickups, jeered Musk and Tesla fans over its demise, noting with some pleasure that the Cybertruck would exit the market within four years of its November 2023 rollout.

I don't get the feeling he's one of those Cybertruck fans left brokenhearted following the cancellation announcement, which is good. Miles gets an invite to my upcoming Cybertruck Is Dead cookout next year. Anyway, onto the schadenfreude. Here's a thread he found from a Cybertruck owners' forum that you'll definitely want to scroll through. "Worst possible news," one poster wrote, adding, "No chance to buy another in future years for a newer model or after a car accident. No more aftermarket mods. No more service or parts."

Don't be too mean to that commenter, though. Those aftermarket parts are important when you own a truck that loses body panels like a toddler loses socks. In their world, maybe it really is the worst possible news. Meanwhile, another Cybertruck owner who goes by the name The Cybertruck Guy on Twitter posted, "I... have no words. Devastating. I can't help but think this is Tesla's own unwillingness (or incompetence) to make Cybertruck a success. Where was the price cuts? Where were the advertisements? Where is range extender? Where is the future of autonomous cargo transport?"

In addition to highlighting a few of the best sad reactions, Wired also spoke with Cybertruck fans to hear their thoughts directly. "So everybody in my group, they are not happy," a contractor in Palm Springs name Michael Goldman told Wired. "I've had people reaching out to me through the group, asking me, like, 'What are you going to do?' And I'm like, 'Dude, I don't know.'" That group, by the way, is called Cybertruck Owners Only and has more than 82,000 members, every single one of whom we can assume is equally depressed now. 

The article also uses the "betrayal" and "disappointment" to describe how many owners feel, which always feels good to see. As for Goldman, he told Wired he nearly bought a second Cybertruck to have for when his first one dies. Unfortunately for Mr. Goldman here, that didn't work out because Tesla pulled the ultimate Tesla move on him right before he pulled the trigger. "I'll be honest with you, I was going pull the trigger on a [Cyberbeast] about two days ago, and I have a reservation already in my phone," Goldman told Klee. But before he officially put his order in, "the price increased like another $8,000 or something, and that was my sign to not do it."

That price increase wasn't personal, though. Per Car and Driver, while the Cybertruck will reportedly stay in production through some point in 2027, the only version you can now buy costs $112,000. So that's not exactly cheap. Then again, who expects consistent pricing out of Tesla? You may not have to negotiate with a dealer salesperson, but Tesla pricing is still an expensive game of Russian roulette, and it has been for years. 

Speaking with Wired, Troy Meekhof (the man behind the Cybertruck Guy Twitter account) said, "I absolutely do think this is the wrong move for the Tesla brand, and it's not necessarily because of the removal of an under-performing product, but it's a clear symbol of Tesla's aggression towards transitioning to autonomous vehicles only," adding, "If you ask me, it is far too aggressive, and I have a growing conviction that, at least in America, the population and legislators are not ready nor interested in autonomous vehicles today en masse." Huh.

Why Meekhof would feel disappointed to see Tesla abandon vehicle production as it pursues its AI/robotics future, I have no idea. We've known that was the plan since 2024, when Elon literally told us that was the plan. While Musk is a proven liar with a long track record of saying he'll do things he never does, his actions since making that announcement have only demonstrated a willingness to pursue his plan, which also involves attempting to merge Tesla with SpaceX. Elon killed both the Model S and Model X back in January, too. 

Then again, that's the problem with thinking you're special. You can look at Tesla cutting everything that isn't the Model 3 or Model 3 hatchback, refusing to redesign its product, and killing the long-rumored $25,000 "cheap Tesla," and you'll still assume Elon will keep building his slow-selling truck just for you and your Cybertruck-driving friends. Being forced to face the reality that they aren't Elon's favorite customers who are basically his best friends has apparently been rough for some of these guys. 

Cybertruck Owners Only groupmember Drew Million told Wired, "I've lost a lot of love for Tesla over this," before complaining about the electric automaker's "very stale consumer options." Million also added, "After Cybertruck is gone, there isn't a flagship vehicle. The Cybertruck started that," apparently still confused about whether or not Tesla is still a car company. And while you'd think Meekhof's claim that Tesla shouldn't go all-in on (very, very flawed) robotaxis would be rare among Tesla owners, it may not be. From Wired:

It's a point that comes up again and again from Tesla boosters protesting the sunset of the Cybertruck: They don't want to give up their own independence in favor of robot chauffeurs. An owner wrote on X, for example, that they didn't understand Tesla's push "to delete the steering wheel, the pedals, the ownership, the freedom of having a vehicle" with the Cybercab, which cannot accommodate an entire family. They lamented that the company "doesn't seem to want to continue innovating in the customer car segment.

There is, of course, plenty of additional schadenfreude to enjoy, so if you like what you've read so far, head on over to Wired to give the whole thing a read. It's more than worth your time, I promise.