Tesla has reportedly told workers on the Cybertruck production line at Giga Texas not to report to work for three days this week, from December 3 to December 5. According to a company memo viewed by Business Insider, employees will still receive pay for these days, with regular scheduling expected to resume by Friday, December 6.
This pause in production is the latest in a series of adjustments related to Cybertruck production. Factory workers have reported erratic scheduling on the Cybertruck line since October. Some employees have been sent home or reassigned to non-production tasks like training or facility cleaning during their shifts.
Tesla has not commented publicly on the reasons for these changes, but speculation points to fluctuating demand for the Cybertruck. Currently the Cybertruck is still priced higher than originally anticipated, even with the non-Foundation Series (non-FS) now in production. Customers can now order a non-FS Cybertruck in the US and have it delivered within days.
In Canada, only the Foundation Series is available, and much like in the US, anyone can now place an order and have it delivered this month, according to Tesla’s website. Despite its high price, as high as C$165,990 for the tri-motor Cyberbeast, it is still selling well north of the border, with likely close to 2,000 deliveries since last month, based on what we have seen across the country. The non-FS Cybertruck in Canada is not expected to land in Canada until late Q1 or early Q2.
Tesla has many demand levers it could leverage to increase sales of the Cybertruck, with one of the biggest being a price reduction, after the company announced in its Q3 2024 shareholder deck that the electric truck had a positive gross margin and reached profitability for the first time, less than a year after production first began.
Despite the high price, the Cybertruck is still topping US sales for electric pickups, surpassing combined sales of rivals like the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning. The Cybertruck is the third best-selling EV in the US, behind only the Model Y and Model 3.
