Experts run the numbers and declare Tesla Cybertruck as the biggest flop in US automotive history, overtaking the Ford Edsel

The Tesla Cybertruck has been declared the biggest flop in US automotive history.

For a long time, that unenviable title was held by the Ford Edsel, which was released back in 1957.

But now it appears Tesla’s distinctive EV truck has taken the top spot, or the bottom spot, depending on how you look at it.

Why exactly has it been dubbed a flop? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Why the Tesla Cybertruck is so divisive

From branding it a ‘cyber-disaster’ to outright berating those who drive it, Cybertruck critics haven’t held back.

Despite the valiant efforts of some owners to win people over, it has still gone down as one of the most divisive cars in recent history.

But is that fair ground for it to be declared the ‘biggest flop’?

These experts ran the numbers and what they found was shocking

An article over on Bloomberg ran the numbers on the Cybertruck sales and came to a damning conclusion.

In the Cybertruck’s first year, it sold just short of 40,000 units – a massive shortfall from the sales target of 250,000.

And that was in 2023.

Since then, sales have been dropping every year.

So far this year, only around 7,100 have been registered.

Even then, the figures have been skewed by Elon Musk selling Cybertrucks to his own companies.

The figures aren’t looking good, that’s fair to say.

But is it really so bad as to usurp the dismal record of the Ford Edsel?

How does this compare to the Ford Edsel?

The Edsel was rolled out back in 1957, pitched as an ‘entirely new kind of car’.

But it was met with resistance, as many people didn’t like the car’s appearance.

Sounds familiar to a certain electric truck, right?

At the time of its launch, it was predicted that 200,000 would be sold in the first year on the market.

The real number was a third of that, and the Edsel went down in history as a flop.

Bethany Benjamin, the writer over at Bloomberg, did note that its reputation has improved somewhat over the years.

“In the end, the Edsel failure cost Ford about $350 million in losses, or $2.5 billion in modern dollars,” she noted.

“Yet many collectors today appreciate the Edsel’s novelty and pay up to $35,000 for restored models.”

Whether or not the Cybertruck will have that appeal 60 years from now remains to be seen.

YouTuber Car Historian had an interesting perspective on the comparison drawn between the Cybertruck and the Edsel.

“While it is true that the Edsel sold poorly, I do not believe that is a good car to compare to the Cybertruck,” he told Supercar Blondie.

“I believe that the Edsel’s failure was due to its design that most buyers interpreted as ugly and the fact that most drivers of that era weren’t used to automatic transmissions, let alone push button shifters.

“The Cybertruck also takes a unique approach to its design, but it is far more radical than modern cars, compared to how radical the Edsel was against its peers.”

Key Features: Tesla Cybertruck