Cybertruck: Tesla Abandons Right-Hand Drive Plans

For nearly seven years, thousands of customers in Australia and New Zealand have held out hope for the arrival of Tesla's Cybertruck, placing deposits with the promise of a future delivery. That wait has ended abruptly. Tesla has officially cancelled plans to build the pickup for these markets, sending emails to reservation holders informing them that their orders are void. The correspondence, which began circulating on social media and Reddit on October 23, 2026, confirms that production for these regions has been discontinued.

The cancellation marks the conclusion of a reservation period that began in November 2019, when customers in Australia first began paying A$150 to secure a spot in line. Tesla's message to these customers is concise: 'After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued. As a result, we’re unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled.' The company assures that full refunds for any payments made will be processed within 30 days.

To soften the blow, Tesla is offering an incentive for those looking to replace their cancelled reservation. Reservation holders who choose to order a new Model 3 or Model Y instead will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised). This move attempts to redirect interest toward vehicles that are manufactured in the right-hand drive configuration necessary for these regions.

The decision to abandon the project for this region comes after a prolonged period of uncertainty. Australians began reserving the vehicle in 2019, but Tesla quietly removed the Australian reservation page in May 2022, replacing it with a 'Get updates' button without refunding any deposits. In 2024, a Cybertruck was even shipped to the country for a display tour, and Elon Musk told shareholders that year: 'We might be able to certify it for other markets sometime next year.' That certification never materialized.

The core technical hurdle has always been the vehicle's configuration. The Cybertruck is manufactured exclusively in left-hand drive, while Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Japan require right-hand drive models. Furthermore, Australia necessitates certification under its own specific design rules, adding another layer of complexity and cost. This stands in contrast to other international markets where Tesla has launched the vehicle, such as South Korea, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel, all of which are left-hand-drive markets.

The financial viability of such a program appears to be the deciding factor. The Cybertruck remains blocked in the EU due to pedestrian safety concerns, limiting its global footprint. Sales figures suggest the vehicle is operating far below its intended capacity; Tesla delivered 8,295 units in the category containing the Cybertruck during the third quarter of 2026, and production estimates for the model are significantly lower than the 250,000 units per year the assembly line was designed to produce.

The market data indicates that the Cybertruck has not achieved the widespread adoption originally anticipated. In 2020, a crowdsourced survey suggested Australia represented about 3% of all Cybertruck reservations, ranking third behind the US and Canada. However, the vehicle that eventually arrived in 2023 differs from the one reserved in 2019, featuring a higher price and less range than initially promised.

The cancellation of the Australian and New Zealand production plans reflects the reality of the vehicle's current market position. While the Cybertruck remains available in various left-hand-drive territories, the company has determined that re-engineering the truck for right-hand-drive markets is not a viable investment at this time. Tesla's decision to close the order page and withhold refunds for several years, combined with the recent refusal to fulfill those orders, brings a definitive end to the long wait for these customers.