Tesla raised prices on two Cybertruck trims by $5K this week, even as sales of the angular pickup fell 32.2% in the first half of 2026 versus the same period last year.
Cox Automotive estimated Tesla sold ~7.26K Cybertrucks in the US during the first half of 2026, far below the 250K annual deliveries CEO Elon Musk once projected.
Seth Goldstein, a Morningstar analyst, told Business Insider the hikes could help offset higher material costs and protect margins ahead of lower expected volumes.
The base Dual Motor trim now starts at $74.99K, up from $69.99K. The Premium All-Wheel Drive version rose to $84.99K from $79.99K. The top-trim Cyberbeast held at $99.99K.
"Tesla is keeping the Cybertruck as a higher-priced vehicle within the luxury auto market, even if it means more limited volumes going forward."
Seth Goldstein, Morningstar
Tesla discontinued its Model X SUV and Model S sedan earlier this year, leaving the Cybertruck as its only vehicle in the luxury segment.
China recall adds pressure
Tesla is also navigating its biggest China recall, covering nearly 3M vehicles. China's State Administration for Market Regulation ordered Tesla and several Chinese automakers to recall more than 4M cars total over hidden door handle designs.
The recall is tied to new regulations taking effect Jan. 1, 2027, requiring cars sold in China to have a mechanical release on both the inside and outside of doors.
Affected vehicles must add warning labels, and some will receive software updates that lower windows automatically after a crash.
Tesla has also faced US lawsuits over its door designs. The sole survivor of a 2024 Cybertruck crash that killed three college students alleged the doors trapped passengers. Tesla denied wrongdoing in court filings, saying the Cybertruck meets US federal safety standards.
The robo-taxi race is tightening
Tesla's bigger long-term bet is robo-taxis. The Nevada Transportation Authority recently approved Tesla to deploy up to 5K robo-taxis over the next 12 months, more than the 1K slots granted to Alphabet's Waymo and Uber's Aviari platform each.
Tesla launched its robo-taxi service in Austin in June 2025 and has since expanded slowly to Dallas and Houston. The Nevada approval is a permit, not a revenue line. Tesla still has to put the vehicles into service at scale.
Waymo responded quickly, announcing Germany expansion plans to launch commercial robo-taxi service next year. Waymo already operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas, and is testing in London and Tokyo.
Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco values Tesla's Full Self-Driving and robo-taxi business at roughly $1T, six times the value he assigns to Tesla's EV business. With Tesla down 19% this year, there’s little room left for another missed target.