7 Years Later: Tesla Ends Cybertruck Program in Australia and New Zealand

Tesla has formally terminated its plans to sell the Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand. Today, the automaker emailed reservation holders to confirm that their orders have been voided and that all deposits will be refunded. This development brings a definitive end to a long period of uncertainty for thousands of customers in the region who have been waiting for a vehicle that was promised nearly a decade ago.

The decision follows a timeline that began in November 2019, when Australian consumers first paid A$150 to reserve the electric pickup. For almost seven years, these deposits remained on hold as Tesla delayed a local launch. The company’s email, shared widely across social media platforms and forums this morning, stated that after careful consideration, the plans to produce the Cybertruck for these markets had been discontinued. Consequently, Tesla is unable to fulfill the reservations and is processing full refunds for all payments made, with credits expected to arrive within 30 days.

To soften the blow, Tesla is offering a strategic incentive for those who wish to switch to a model it currently builds in right-hand drive. Reservation holders who order a new Model 3 or Model Y will receive a free one-year subscription to Full Self-Driving (Supervised). This move appears designed to convert lapsed pickup truck interest into sales of sedans and SUVs that are already available in local markets.

The cancellation comes just one day after Tesla reported its third-quarter 2026 earnings. The timing suggests the decision was driven by recent financial performance and a reassessment of the vehicle’s global viability. The Cybertruck has faced specific structural challenges in the region because it is manufactured exclusively in left-hand drive. Australia and New Zealand require right-hand-drive vehicles, necessitating a separate certification process under local design rules, a significant cost for a vehicle that is already facing demand softness in North America.

Contextual data highlights the scale of the wait. By 2023, crowdsourced tracking estimated total global Cybertruck reservations at approximately 2 million, with Australia reportedly holding about 3% of that total. Although Tesla quietly closed the Australian reservation page in May 2022, it did not refund customers at that time, leaving them in limbo. In 2024, the CEO told shareholders that certification for other markets might occur the following year, but a right-hand-drive version never materialized.

The core financial argument against a right-hand-drive program lies in current sales volumes. Tesla delivered 8,295 units categorized as 'Other Models' in Q3 2026, a segment that now consists almost entirely of Cybertrucks since production of the Model S and X ended. Estimates place quarterly Cybertruck sales between 7,000 and 8,000 units, equating to an annual pace of roughly 30,000 vehicles. This figure is significantly lower than the production line’s capacity of 250,000 units annually, making the investment in re-engineering for two markets with a combined population of about 33 million difficult to justify.

The situation underscores a shift in the vehicle’s global strategy. Recent international launches have been limited to left-hand-drive markets, including South Korea, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The truck remains blocked in the European Union primarily due to pedestrian safety concerns. With US sales declining from approximately 39,000 units in 2024 to a fraction of that level today, the Cybertruck is increasingly viewed as a niche product. Tesla’s decision to end the Australian program reflects a broader strategy to focus on existing left-hand-drive inventory rather than investing in new regional adaptations.