Is the Cyber Truck a Flop?

[ultrarunner]

Automation definitely displaces labor… some adapt, some can’t or won’t and new jobs created.

I see this a lot with automated receptionists… and I detest phone trees where you make 6 or more selections only to hear the mailbox is full or auto disconnect.

Remember when executives had secretaries… not so much any more and those that do are Administrative Assistants.

If self driving ever takes off lots of drivers may be idled.

The refreshing part is there are still tasks needing to be done not easily automated or off shored…

In 1982 my Apple//e with Letter Quality Printer, Dual Floppy Drives etc. set me back about 6 months wages…

I still have it including the box it came in and I said at the time they are going to have to bury me with it because it was so expensive!

 

[WinterDeere]

Automation definitely displaces labor… some adapt, some can’t or won’t and new jobs created.

I see this a lot with automated receptionists… and I detest phone trees where you make 6 or more selections only to hear the mailbox is full or auto disconnect.

Yep, if you drill down to the individual job level, there are always displacements, especially at the menial and low-paying end of the spectrum. The job of someone who was paid just a scoche over minimum wage was eliminated, but replaced in numbers by those who make telephone hardware, software, install, service, sell, and manage all of that crap. Overall, the numbers go up, but there are always some uncomfortable individual transitions.

I suppose we should have never made the switch to cars, just to protect the ferriers' jobs? Go tell the auto union, mechanics, car salesmen, and oil rig workers!

 

[WoodChuckDad]

People lose purpose; I see it daily, and I know you do too. It's played hell on society, and it's nothing like it will be with the combination of modern robotics and AI.

I wanted to come back to this because it is important, and in fact is my greatest concern with these sudden advancements. We have made life easier than at any time in history and many people are still unhappy.
The overall level of comfort is much greater, food is abundant and most people have more options in every aspect of their lives, but it seems many people have less order and satisfaction. My personal belief is that a job gives many people a sense of purpose and when they don’t feel that purpose, dissatisfaction grows. The other parts of their lives don’t seem as fulfilling , perhaps for no more reason, than they dont have hard tasks to perform and problems to solve to use up their mental restlessness, and their minds wander down dark roads.
We have this now with a big chunk of people who don’t work regular jobs. So I don’t know what happens when you add to that with a transitioning group of people who don’t embrace and adapt to the new opportunities and have idle time and easy and instant contact with millions of others who have idle time.

 

[Jstpssng]

I finally saw my first cybertruck today. Pictures don't do it any justice.
It would win an ugly contest against a Pontiac Aztek.

 

[ultrarunner]

Can’t remember the last time I saw an Aztek but I see Cyber trucks every day.

 

[Jstpssng]

You can't take time to set every 90# chunk of oak into the bed with kid gloves. You get close and chuck it in.

Maybe you do. When I'm loading firewood I do take the time to set it in the bed. It's cut stove length abd stacked so that I can fit more.

 

[NoTrespassing]

MSN

Things are undoubtedly bad at Tesla. Its sales are dwindling. Its profits are plunging, as is its share price. There are regular protests outside its showrooms. The Cybertruck is a flop. And somehow, it’s actually a lot worse than that.

 

[WinterDeere]

Its sales are dwindling.

The article has an agenda, of course. But even so, I'm surprised the author reached as far as "dwindling", in describing sales above 45,000 for each of the prior three months. Sure, it's down 20% from the prior year, but each of the prior years were also down over the juggernaut that was 2022 car sales... and that's all before Musk irritated all the lefties by aligning with the current administration.

Here are the actual March sales numbers, for the last ten years:

2015: 1200
2016: 2250
2017: 3000
2018: 8820
2019: 14,625
2020: 10,000
2021: 23,760
2022: 89,575
2023: 60,395
2024: 53,881
2025: 45,066

You can see that March 2023 was already down over March 2022, long before the release of the CyberTruck. And 2024 was down over 2023, long before Musk drove his fanboys insane by inserting himself into the current administration.

The Musk/Trump effect likely accounts for some of the recent loss, but another large factor is that the major auto makers are finally coming out with some reasonably good EV's, such that Tesla is losing the all-out monopoly they've enjoyed most of the last 10 years.

 

[Oaktree]

The Musk/Trump effect likely accounts for some of the recent loss, but another large factor is that the major auto makers are finally coming out with some reasonably good EV's, such that Tesla is losing the all-out monopoly they've enjoyed most of the last 10 years.

Agree, but a 50% drop in sales in 3 years is pretty significant.

 

[NoTrespassing]

The article has an agenda, of course. But even so, I'm surprised the author reached as far as "dwindling", in describing sales above 45,000 for each of the prior three months. Sure, it's down 20% from the prior year, but each of the prior years were also down over the juggernaut that was 2022 car sales... and that's all before Musk irritated all the lefties by aligning with the current administration.

Here are the actual March sales numbers, for the last ten years:

2015: 1200
2016: 2250
2017: 3000
2018: 8820
2019: 14,625
2020: 10,000
2021: 23,760
2022: 89,575
2023: 60,395
2024: 53,881
2025: 45,066

You can see that March 2023 was already down over March 2022, long before the release of the CyberTruck. And 2024 was down over 2023, long before Musk drove his fanboys insane by inserting himself into the current administration.

The Musk/Trump effect likely accounts for some of the recent loss, but another large factor is that the major auto makers are finally coming out with some reasonably good EV's, such that Tesla is losing the all-out monopoly they've enjoyed most of the last 10 years.

Combine loss of sales and loss of margins and you have problems. The article may have an agenda, but the numbers don't lie. I agree, this was coming before DOGE. I do think the Cyber Truck was much less successful than many predicted. Tesla will need to pivot to improve numbers, and I believe they can.

A key product margin is also shrinking. In the first quarter, that measure, the gross automotive profit margin, excludes not only regulatory credit sales but many other expenses. The margin was 12.5% in the most recent quarter, down from a high of 30% in the first quarter of 2022.