Not going to look up the story again, but apparently Musk is selling all his unsellable Cybertrucks to SpaceX, xAI and Tesla for use as service vehicles. That's how much excess unsellable inventory they have. Edit - OK I lied, here's the story: https://electrek.co/2025/10/13/elon-musks-spacex-and-xai-are-buying-teslas-unsold-cybertrucks/
So even the ones they sold are not to actual customers? Oh boy. Good way to prop up sales figures I guess.. This is like the AI circle jerk...
Exclusive-Ford reverses plan to claim EV tax credits, following GM DETROIT (Reuters) -Ford Motor is walking back a program that would have allowed dealers to offer a $7,500 tax credit on EV leases after the federal subsidy expired September 30, the company said on Thursday. "Ford will not claim the EV tax credit but will maintain the competitive lease payments we have in the market today," a spokesperson said. The decision follows a similar move from General Motors on Wednesday. While automakers including Hyundai and Stellantis have offered cash off incentives to bridge the gap for buyers, Ford and GM took a different approach. The in-house lending arms at these two automakers planned to initiate the purchase of EVs in dealers’ inventory, and the companies would apply for the $7,500 credit on those cars and then roll that money into EV lease terms for customers. For customers who want to purchase an electric vehicle, Ford Credit continues to offer 0 percent financing for 72 months and other incentives, a spokesperson said. GM opted to kill the program after concerns were raised about it by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, a former car dealer who is active in auto policy, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters. It is unclear why Ford canceled its program. Ford and GM developed their strategies after discussions with officials at the Internal Revenue Service, Reuters previously reported. Some auto executives, including Ford CEO Jim Farley, have warned that EV sales will drop significantly in the absence of the credit. Other automotive leaders, such as the CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, have affirmed that the electric vehicle market is more resilient than that. __________ From the link provided by Ottomaton. Here’s what I bet happened. Elon knew Q4 is going to be rough due to the demand being pulled forward because of the tax credit. However, there was a provision that if you lock in orders with unrefundable deposits before the end of September, you could still deliver vehicles in Q4 with the tax credit. __________ I wonder if Tesla did what what was sort of suggested by booking the orders at the end of September to claim the Tax Credit while Musk's affiliated companies didn't take delivery until October so that the deliveries for Tesla's purposes would belong to the Fourth Quarter. Not exactly the same as what GM and Ford had thought about doing by shifting - selling vehicles to affiliated Finance companies to claim the credit, then ultimately moving them to customers via a favorable Lease. ...but close enough to make one wonder if that is what Musk - Tesla did.
Assigning a single data point for your base argument is silly. That said, yes, I agree - The CT has underperformed by a significant margin. The real story is that EV work trucks are not moving at a significant rate. Ford, Rivian and Tesla make solid work trucks for this class. Putting partisan topics aside, we should all agree that removing actively polluting vehicles should have a meaningful priority and we should not be hoping for certain manufactures to fail.
The OEM/dealership model is a bit fuzzy. OEM use the dealerships as a way to make their numbers look more rounded and to pull revenue ahead. Its a large shell game in which the OT may not move until much later and the dealership just gets the MCO. The IRS may require the OT to move before credit can be realized. The current financing structure from OEM to dealership may not have a mechanism for the OT to move. Tesla issues their titles directly to the state. No temp paper tags. No trips to the DMV.
I don't find the Tesla Truck to be attractive but that is not the reason I don't want one ACTUALLY I don't want to buy an ALL Electric vehicle I feel like I would be stranded without a place to plug in too many places in this country Hybrid is the way to go for me Rocket River
The real story is the CT is a failure on life support. It may have failed anyway, but Elon's toxicity helped drive a stake into it. The incredible 62% YOY nosedive ends all debate for me. They obviously cannot continue making only 5K per quarter so I assume another vehicle on the same platform is coming.
For me, it's just not much of a truck. It's an ungainly, oddly-sized, overpriced hatchback. I wouldn't be able to do much of what I'd want with a truck.
ON MORE THING The fact that Tesla CAN AND WILL seize control of my vehicle without my consent Generally I don't OWN the call . . . .I just pay to drive it Rocket River
I think it has more utility than you and many others realize, but because of Elon Musk's vengeful stubbornness, Tesla stupidly doesn't advertise because they can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
This is behind a Paywall. Elon Musk's SpaceX Most Likely Doesn't Pay Taxes This is the AI summary of the writeup by the New York Times AI Overview According to The New York Times, SpaceX had an estimated operating profit of about $5 billion in 2024, an increase from $2.6 billion in 2023. Despite this profitability, the company has likely paid little to no federal income tax since its founding, due to a large accumulation of tax losses from past years and billions in government contracts. These losses can be carried forward to offset future taxable income, according to internal documents reviewed by The New York Times. Operating Profit: SpaceX reported operating profits of roughly $5 billion in 2024, up from $2.6 billion in 2023. Tax Avoidance: The company has likely paid very little to no federal income tax since its founding in 2002, despite its profitability and billions in government contracts. Tax Losses: SpaceX accumulated significant tax losses in its early years, which were not publicly disclosed but have allowed it to avoid federal taxes on its current profits. Government Contracts: A significant portion of SpaceX's revenue, estimated at nearly 84% in 2020, comes from federal agencies like NASA and the Pentagon __________ Credits for new clean vehicles purchased in 2023 or after Update: The New Clean Vehicle Credit is not available for vehicles acquired after Sept. 30, 2025. The vehicle must be placed in service for you to claim the credit. If a vehicle is placed in service after Sept. 30, 2025, you must have acquired the vehicle on or before Sept. 30, 2025, to be eligible for the credit. You can demonstrate acquisition by entering into a binding written contract and making a payment on the vehicle on or before Sept. 30, 2025. A vehicle is placed in service when you take possession of the vehicle. This page covers changes under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. If you acquire a new plug-in electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell vehicle (FCV) on or before Sept. 30, 2025, you may qualify for a clean vehicle tax credit when the vehicle is placed in service. For more information on how to qualify see Publication 5866, New Clean Vehicle Tax Credit Checklist PDF. When you take possession of the vehicle, a seller must give you information about your vehicle's qualifications. Sellers must also register online and report the same information to the IRS. If they don't, your vehicle won't be eligible for the credit. For more information see Publication 5905, Information for Consumers Purchasing a New or Used Clean Vehicle PDF. Find information on credits for used clean vehicles, qualified commercial clean vehicles and new plug-in EVs purchased before 2023. __________ From the Tesla web site... Tesla Third Quarter 2025 Production, Deliveries & Deployments Oct 2, 2025 AUSTIN, Texas, October 2, 2025 – In the third quarter, we produced over 447,000 vehicles, delivered over 497,000 vehicles and deployed 12.5 GWh of energy storage products – a record for both deliveries and deployments. Thank you to all our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and supporters who helped us achieve these results. Q3 2025 ___________________________________________Subject to operating lease _______________Production_____Deliveries___________accounting_______ Model 3/Y_______435,826_________481,166_______________2%___________ Other Model_____11,624___________15,933_______________7%___________ __________________________________________________________________ Total____________447,450_________497,099______________2%___________ __________ From the IRS writeup... A vehicle is placed in service when you take possession of the vehicle. The Tesla writeup is titled Tesla Third Quarter 2025 Production, Deliveries & Deployments How Tesla treats - defines deliveries might (or might not) be the same as how the IRS specifies when a vehicle has been placed in service.
CT's problem is that its a unique solution for a small amount of problems. I wanted to like the CT, unfortunately the aesthetics just sucks. Just like 0-60 speed in 2 seconds is a mostly useless feature, so is the CT's armored skin. The driver is almost in the middle of the truck so it feels like you're driving a boat. Its hard to keep clean. Its big. Its ugly. The 48VDC system is under utilized. Just build a normal looking mid sized SUV like Rivian with all of the CT's premium features. It feels like Tesla is pivoting away from innovating passenger vehicles.
Can I haul a big vanity, or outsized bookcase, or armoire? Maybe. Looking at the ones in my neighborhood, I don't see it. But I could easily be wrong.
100%! I think it became a vanity project for Musk's ego. IMO, he thought it could create (by itself) a popular new form factor for vehicles. Re your last statement, I never stopped believing the Cybercab's unboxed platform will be used for a small, $20K-$25K vehicle. Maybe a two-seater. After Elon's extreme hype about FSD 14 made me , the early reports and videos are pretty wild. Can't wait for general release.
Is that you on the right? Are you taking the armoire? "You can't take that...that belongs to a friend of mine!"
