Nearly five years later, that dream looks further away than ever. Right now, the lowest-priced Cybertruck costs a cool $100,000.
Tesla has quietly hiked the price of the all-wheel-drive version of the Cybertruck to just under $100,000 and removed the option to pre-order the $61,000 rear-wheel version for 2025, according to Internet Archive screenshots.
That means if you want to buy the truck, your only options are the $99,990 all-wheel-drive Cybertruck or the $119,990 Cyberbeast.
It’s unclear what this means for the planned cheaper versions of the Cybertruck, though the Cybertruck lead engineer, Wes Morrill, appeared to confirm in a post on X that they’ve not been canceled altogether.
The Cybertruck’s price and relative scarcity have seen it become something of a status symbol since its launch last year, with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian spotted driving the pickup.
Musk said in 2019 that the Cybertruck would start at $39,900, with the most premium version costing about $70,000.
But the Cybertruck’s actual price tag left some fans bitterly disappointed.
Tesla had said cheaper versions of the vehicle were coming in 2025, but the company has faced huge challenges in scaling up production thanks to its unique design.
The new uncertainty is the latest bump in the road for the Cybertruck, which has already faced multiple recalls, including over fears the accelerator pedal may jam.
One upside for would-be Cybertruck owners is that Tesla is now advertising deliveries of the all-wheel-drive and Cyberbeast versions for this year, as opposed to 2025, suggesting the company is finally making headway in ramping up production.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside normal working hours.
Correction: August 12, 2024 — This article was updated to clarify that only the rear-wheel-drive version of the Cybertruck has been removed as an option to order on the Tesla website.
Do you own a Cybertruck or have a tip? Get in touch with this reporter via email at tcarter@businessinsider.com.