From Newsgroup: rec.autos.tech



Data Shows Tesla Cybertruck Is A Bigger Flop Than The Goddamn Edsel
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Edsel is one of the greatest and most infamous flops in automotive
history, but it's in trouble. It's perilously close to being
dethroned by a newcomer: the Tesla Cybertruck. Despite the fact that
their debuts are separated by over 65 years, they bear some striking
similarities. Both were predicted to sell over 200,000 units in their
first year on the market, both have - uh - unusual design languages,
both have suffered sales drops every year they've been on sale and
both have become the punchlines of their respective eras.

After unveiling the Edsel in 1957, sales dropped every year until its
ultimate cancellation in 1959. Somehow, Cybertruck sales are off to an
even worse start, according to Bloomberg. As I mentioned, Ford planned
to sell 200,000 Edsels in its first year. In 1958, it ultimately sold
63,110 of them, and in 1959, that number dropped to 44,891. Tesla
wishes it could hit those sales numbers. Despite CEO Elon Musk
thinking it could hit a quarter-million registrations in its first
year, in 2024, Tesla registered just 38,965 Cybertrucks. The number
was sliced to 20,237 in 2025, and through May of this year, just 7,133
Cybertrucks have been registered in the U.S. Keep in mind, a good
chunk of that is because Musk's other companies - like SpaceX - have
built up fleets of the things.

Despite the sales SNAFU, Tesla's newfound emphasis on driverless
vehicles and humanoid robots means the Cybertruck probably won't be
outright canceled, according to Bloomberg. Instead, it'll probably just
fade away, quietly and pathetically. Perhaps Tesla will try some sort
of mid-cycle refresh to drum up sales, but its weird styling, high
price, hideous unreliability, limited usability and the fact it reminds
everyone of Musk are going to make that a pretty tough ask.

Bad design, bad sales
At the end of the day, much can be forgiven about a car if it looks
good. The thing is, that's one thing the Edsel and Cybertruck really
don't have going for them. You'll be hard-pressed to find folks who
have a nice thing to say about the design of either, and some of that
compromised design means the usability was equally compromised, as
Bloomberg explained:

"Edsel's steering-wheel-based Teletouch transmission system frequently
malfunctioned and confused drivers - many attempting to honk the horn
would end up reversing their car instead.

Ford had the Edsel built on the same assembly lines as its standard
Ford and Mercury vehicles. Quality suffered, since workers had to
switch tools, then switch back without slowing the production line.
This led to Edsels being shipped unfinished, with parts in the trunks
for dealerships to install."

The Cybertruck had (and still has) its own share of production issues
thanks to its stainless steel body that is difficult to piece together.
It's also already been recalled 11 times, according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is pretty impressive for a
vehicle that is only in its third model year. Of course, Tesla has also
been sued because the truck's doors failed to open after a horrific
crash, according to Bloomberg.

All in all, the implosion of the Edsel ended up costing Ford about
$350 million in the late 1950s. That works out to be right around
$2.5 billion in today's money, Bloomberg says. The one silver lining is
that today, those cars are a bit of an automotive novelty, much like
other famous flops, such as the Pontiac Aztek, DeLorean and AMC Pacer.
I'm not sure if the Cybertryck will end up with the same sort of
lovable loser aesthetic those cars garner now, as it's very rare that
the lovable loser in your life also has a metaphorical boot on your
neck.


<https://www.jalopnik.com/2220957/tesla-cybertruck-flop-edsel/>


--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2