Automakers have spent decades trying to avoid one comparison above all others: the Ford Edsel. Nearly 70 years after its spectacular failure, the ill-fated sedan remains the gold standard for automotive flops. Now, Tesla
New vehicle registration data analyzed by Bloomberg suggest the Cybertruck is falling even further short of expectations than Ford's infamous Edsel, despite years of CEO Elon Musk touting the stainless-steel pickup as Tesla's "best product ever" and "alien technology."
From 'Alien Technology' to Sales Reality
Musk has never been shy about the Cybertruck's potential.
In 2021, after an opinion piece predicted the truck would become Tesla's first major flop, Musk fired back on X.
"Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future," he wrote.
Musk suggested the pickup could become the company's defining vehicle during Tesla's Q2 2022 earnings call.
"It might actually be our best product ever," he said.
During the truck's delivery event in November 2023, he told customers, "Finally the future will look like the future."
Even after sales began slowing, Musk continued defending the vehicle. "A Cybertruck is alien technology, OK," he said on "The Joe Rogan Experience" last November. Musk added that it was like "an elephant that runs like a cheetah."
"Cybertruck is an incredible vehicle. Our best ever from Tesla," he wrote on X last December.
The Numbers Never Matched the Hype
Tesla began delivering the Cybertruck in late 2023 after years of delays.
Musk previously suggested Tesla could eventually produce more than 250,000 Cybertrucks annually. Instead, the truck's first full year fell well short of that pace.
Cox Automotive estimated U.S. sales at roughly 39,000 vehicles in 2024. Sales then dropped to about 20,000 in 2025.
The slowdown has continued.
Through this past May, just 7,133 Cybertrucks had been registered in the United States, according to S&P Global Mobility data cited by Bloomberg. Even that figure includes purchases made by Musk's other companies, including SpaceX
A Familiar Lesson for Investors
The comparison to the Edsel isn't just about disappointing sales. Ford expected to sell about 200,000 Edsels during the model's first year after its 1957 debut.
It sold fewer than one-third of that target before Ford Motor
The Cybertruck's struggles are also a reminder that even the world's most successful companies can misjudge consumer demand. For some investors, that's one reason to look beyond established public companies and follow emerging technologies before they become mainstream.
One company drawing attention in that space is Immersed, which develops spatial computing software and the Visor headset designed to create expansive virtual workspaces where professionals can collaborate with AI-powered applications. Unlike Tesla, Immersed remains privately held, giving eligible investors an opportunity to invest before any potential public offering.
Musk has built a career proving skeptics wrong. Whether the Cybertruck eventually joins that list or remains one of Tesla's biggest disappointments is a question only future sales can answer.
