Tesla will add an extra shift to its Cybertruck line in Texas. Elon Musk shared the plan on Saturday, saying the truck’s order list is now far larger than the factory can finish before the line is taken apart in June or July 2027.
The extra shift is a race against the clock. The line will still close on the same date. The added workers are only meant to build as many waiting trucks as possible before that day arrives.
Why Tesla Adds Extra Cybertruck Shift
Musk announced the wind-down one day earlier, on Friday. He said Tesla will wind down Cybertruck output at Gigafactory Texas around the middle of next year. His Saturday post gave the plan a firm date for the first time: June or July 2027.
“The Cybertruck order backlog is currently far more than Tesla can make before dismantling the line for Cybercab expansion around June/July next year,” Musk wrote on X. “We will add an extra shift to try to get all orders done in time.”
The extra shift buys no extra time. The line still comes down around June or July 2027. The added workers are only meant to get as many waiting orders built as possible before that date.
Musk gave no start date for the extra shift. He also gave no promise that every order will be built in time. Tesla has not said whether Cybertruck production will move to another plant. The Texas factory is currently the only place where the truck is built.
Cybertruck Backlog Outruns Texas Plant
A backlog means orders from buyers that are still waiting to be built. In this case, the list of waiting orders is now bigger than what the Texas plant can finish before the line closes.
Tesla does not report Cybertruck sales on their own. Its “Other Models” group, which includes the truck, delivered 8,295 vehicles worldwide in the third quarter of 2026. That was down from 12,364 in the second quarter.
Cox Automotive estimates 11,586 Cybertrucks were sold in the United States in the first nine months of 2026. Tesla’s own papers list annual Cybertruck capacity at more than 125,000 vehicles at Gigafactory Texas.
Musk did not give a number for the backlog. He said only that it is “far more” than the plant can build before the line closes.
Prices climbed sharply. Just a day before the wind-down news, Tesla raised prices to $82,490 for the dual-motor trim, $92,490 for Premium and $102,490 for the Cyberbeast. In February 2026 the cheapest trim cost $59,990. At the 2019 launch Musk had listed $39,900, $49,900 and $69,900.
Cybercab Takes Over Texas Line
The Cybercab is Tesla’s small self-driving taxi. It has no steering wheel. It is built to carry passengers with no driver at all. Tesla says Cybercab production has already begun at the Texas plant.
The factory floor is the real prize. Taking out the Cybertruck line frees space to build far more Cybercabs. Tesla is shifting its main bet from selling cars to running driverless taxis.
Why it matters is simple. For buyers, a Cybertruck ordered now may or may not be built. Musk has not promised that every order gets a truck. For Tesla, the truck was a side project. Robot taxis are now the main plan.
Cybertruck Short Life, Long Troubles
Musk unveiled the truck on 21 November 2019 in Hawthorne, California. On stage, metal balls thrown at the windows to show they were shatterproof cracked two windows instead. The clip went viral.
Four years passed before buyers got trucks. Pilot production began in July 2023. The delivery event was held on 30 November 2023.
Reservations needed only a refundable $100 deposit. There were 146,000 orders in two days and 250,000 in five days. But a refundable deposit is not a sale, so not all of them became buyers.
Sales fell. Kelley Blue Book estimates Cybertruck sales down 48% from 2024 to 2025, and down 28% in January to September 2026.
There have been 11 recalls since late 2023, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They include 3,878 trucks recalled in April 2024 over an accelerator pedal pad that could come loose, and 46,096 in March 2025 over a light bar that could come off.
By the time the line closes in mid-2027, the truck will have been on sale for only about three and a half years.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Line closes | June/July 2027 |
| Extra shift | Added to clear backlog |
| Plant capacity | More than 125,000 a year |
| US sales, Jan-Sep 2026 | 11,586 (Cox estimate) |
| Other Models deliveries, Q3 2026 | 8,295 |
| Prices now | $82,490 / $92,490 / $102,490 |
| Recalls since 2023 | 11 |
| First deliveries | 30 Nov 2023 |
To free factory space at Gigafactory Texas for more Cybercab robotaxis; the line comes down around June or July 2027.
Tesla will add an extra shift to try to finish waiting orders, but Musk has not promised every order will be built before the line closes.
Tesla’s small self-driving taxi with no steering wheel, built to carry passengers without a driver; production has begun at Gigafactory Texas.
