The Cybertruck’s Rocky Road
The Tesla Cybertruck was introduced with great anticipation, backed by more than a million reservations and the promise of a pickup that could rival traditional full-size trucks while undercutting them on price. The production version, however, fell far short of expectations. Only over 40,000 units were sold in 2024, a fraction of the annual target of 250,000.
Instead of dominating, the Cybertruck has lagged behind competitors such as the Rivian R1T and the Ford F-150 Lightning.
Against this backdrop, Tesla may be exploring another angle: turning the Cybertruck into an SUV. A recent promotional video hinted at the possibility, raising the question of whether Tesla is considering expanding the stainless-steel platform into a new body style.
We’re accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable abundance https://t.co/izyrlC5QP5 pic.twitter.com/phlZ9a2NRY
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 1, 2025
A Tesla Cyber SUV in the Background
The potential Cyber SUV briefly appeared in a video titled «Sustainable Abundance.» While the focus of the clip was on autonomous modeling of Tesla’s Cybercab project, in the background were clay models resembling an SUV with styling cues taken directly from the Cybertruck. Is Tesla experimenting with a full-size SUV built around the truck’s distinctive exoskeleton? We don’t think so.
Demand for a larger SUV in Tesla’s lineup has been strong, since the Model X does not offer the size or ruggedness many buyers want. However, Tesla has officially stated that it does not plan to reuse the Cybertruck’s stainless-steel exoskeleton in future models. The company’s shareholder deck in late 2024 underscored its pivot toward autonomy, AI, and robotics as the primary focus, making a new SUV project uncertain at best.
The hints in the video could be little more than internal design exercises rather than a preview of an actual production model.
A Cyber SUV is a Far-Fetched Reality
The main reason an SUV derived from the Cybertruck may not see the light of day is the Cybertruck itself. The vehicle has proven to be a slow seller, leaving Tesla with thousands of unsold units in inventory by mid-2025. Discounts, incentives, and new packages have had little impact on changing the momentum.
Instead, Tesla has recently raised prices on the top-tier Cyberbeast from $99,990 to $114,990, offset by the introduction of a Luxe Package that bundles services, premium connectivity, supervised Full Self-Driving, and free Supercharging. Even so, the steep price contrasts sharply with the affordable electric pickup Elon Musk once promised.
Since Tesla cannot achieve success with the truck, scaling it up to a larger SUV seems unlikely. For now, the Cybertruck’s failure is a reminder that it isn’t the groundbreaking model it was once advertised to be, and the Cyber SUV may remain only a spectacle in a background video.