Tesla is quietly propping up Cybertruck sales by having Elon Musk's other companies purchase the vehicles, a sign that consumer demand for the polarizing electric pickup has largely evaporated. SpaceX alone bought 1,279 Cybertrucks in the fourth quarter of 2025, accounting for more than 18% of all 7,071 Cybertrucks registered in the United States during that period . When combined with purchases from xAI, Boring Company, and Neuralink, Musk's various ventures bought nearly one in every five Cybertrucks sold, totaling purchases likely exceeding $100 million in value .

Why Is Tesla Selling Cybertrucks to Musk's Other Companies?

The inter-company sales reveal a troubling reality for Tesla's most ambitious vehicle launch in years. Without the purchases from Musk-run companies, Cybertruck registrations in the fourth quarter would have fallen 51% instead of showing modest growth . The trend has continued into 2026, with another 158 Cybertrucks purchased by Musk's ventures in January and 67 in February .

"Tesla is running out of buyers for the Cybertruck," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for advisory firm AutoForecast Solutions.

Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions

The arrangement is unusual in the automotive industry. While car manufacturers occasionally offer incentives or lease vehicles to employees when sales lag, it's rare for an automaker to unload significant volumes of a single model to affiliated businesses under the same CEO's control . The purchases suggest Tesla is struggling to find genuine consumer interest in the Cybertruck, despite Musk's earlier predictions that the company would produce 250,000 units annually by 2025 .

What Are Musk's Companies Actually Doing With These Trucks?

The exact purpose of the Cybertruck purchases remains murky. SpaceX has posted long rows of idle Cybertrucks on its Texas property, though the company's lead engineer indicated in October that SpaceX was replacing gas-powered support vehicles with the electric trucks . At least some are being used as security vehicles, and SpaceX could ultimately purchase around 2,000 Cybertrucks according to reporting from EV news outlet Electrek . It's less clear why xAI, an artificial intelligence and social media company, would need 50 Cybertrucks .

The inter-company sales highlight how deeply Musk's various ventures are intertwined. xAI uses Tesla Megapack batteries and has integrated its Grok chatbot into Tesla vehicles; Las Vegas conference-goers can ride in Teslas through a Boring Company-built tunnel; and Tesla and SpaceX are collaborating on a planned chip production project . These connections create a web of dependencies that allows Musk to shuffle resources across his business empire.

How Tesla Is Responding to Cybertruck Demand Problems

• Phasing Out Older Models: Tesla is discontinuing the slow-selling Model X SUV and Model S sedan, its two oldest vehicles, to focus resources elsewhere .
• Exploring Commercial Fleet Sales: Musk has indicated the company may boost fleet sales to commercial customers, suggesting autonomous Cybertrucks could be useful for cargo delivery within cities .
• Maintaining Production: The inter-company purchases keep Tesla's Cybertruck production line running even as retail demand falters, preventing costly factory shutdowns .

The Cybertruck's struggles extend beyond Tesla's internal dynamics. The broader electric pickup market has been a disappointment in the United States. Ford recently decided to convert its electric F-150 Lightning pickup to an extended-range hybrid vehicle, signaling weakness across the category . Despite a 45% drop in sales, the Cybertruck remained the top-selling battery-powered truck in the US during the first quarter, though that distinction reflects the weakness of the entire segment rather than strong consumer enthusiasm .

Tesla faces mounting pressure to reverse declining sales across its entire lineup. The company is on track for a third consecutive annual sales decline and has been surpassed by China's BYD as the world's top EV seller . Investors have largely overlooked Tesla's sagging auto sales while Musk reorients the company around futuristic pursuits like robotaxis and humanoid robots, but those products remain years away from becoming meaningful revenue sources . Since hitting a record high in mid-December, Tesla's stock has lost a fifth of its value, suggesting shareholder patience is wearing thin .

The Cybertruck's disappointing performance stands in sharp contrast to its highly publicized debut in late 2023. The vehicle was supposed to diversify Tesla's lineup and compete in the lucrative US pickup market dominated by Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis . However, the truck's angular design proved divisive, and its price tag of more than $100,000 for initial versions far exceeded the under-$40,000 starting price Musk had promised in 2019 . The current starting price of around $70,000 still positions it as a premium vehicle, limiting its appeal to mainstream buyers .