By Theo Burman is a Newsweek Live News Reporter based in London, U.K. He writes about U.S. politics and international news, with a focus on infrastructure and technology. He has covered technological and cultural issues extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., such as the rise of Elon Musk and other tech figures within the conservative movement, and the development of high-profile international construction projects. Theo joined Newsweek in 2024 and has previously written for Dexerto, PinkNews, and News UK. He is a graduate of Durham University and News Associates. You can get in touch with Theo by emailing t.burman@newsweek.com. Languages: English. Writers Page What To Know Data from ArenaEV and TeslaInfo.com shows that Cybertruck listings have surged over the past month. With an average price of $79,000, Tesla's inventory holds a value approaching $808 million. Much of the stockpile consists of 2024-manufactured vehicles, already months old. Notably, many Foundation Series Cybertrucks, the production of which ended in October 2024, remain in the inventory, suggesting a backlog that could put additional pressure on Tesla's bottom line. The Cybertruck's production strategy has undergone visible shifts. Tesla recently launched a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) version using the same battery pack as the all-wheel-drive (AWD) model but stripped of some features. The pivot hints that plans for offering multiple battery sizes in the RWD model were shelved, likely because of reduced production volume. This isn't the first time Tesla has simplified its product line in response to market realities. Similar adjustments were made with the Model S and Model X after the more affordable Model 3 and Model Y took off in popularity. Current inventory levels reportedly represent nearly two quarters' worth of sales, further emphasizing the gap between production output and market demand. Initial projections called for 250,000 Cybertrucks annually, but current sales trends suggest Tesla may struggle to sell even 20,000 units per year. While Tesla has not publicly commented on the growing inventory, industry watchers suggest that the company may soon face tough decisions. What People Are Saying Tesla, in its first-quarter earnings report: "Uncertainty in the automotive and energy markets continues to increase as rapidly evolving trade policy adversely impacts the global supply chain and cost structure of Tesla and our peers. "This dynamic, along with changing political sentiment, could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term. We remain committed to expanding our business model to include delivering autonomous robots across multiple form factors and use cases – powered by our real-world AI expertise – to our customers and for use in our factories, as we navigate these headwinds." What Happens Next Musk has said that he intends to focus more on Tesla as he steps away from DOGE, which may help to improve Tesla's reputation. \ \ Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. \ \ \ ';uncommonKnowledgeItems[0].insertAdjacentHTML('afterend',uncommonKnowledgeContainerHtml);let uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement=document.getElementsByClassName('uncommon-knowledge');let itemsContainerElement=document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container');uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement[0].style.display='block';uncommonKnowledgeItems.forEach((itemUncommon)=>{document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container').insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend','