Cybertruck line workers at Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory were told to stay home for three days this week as the company responds to sluggish sales creating a backlog.
Tesla employees were sent a memo Monday, informing them that they would not need to report to work at the Austin facility on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday this week. According to the memo, first reported by Business Insider, the employees will be paid for the three days.
Tesla issued similar orders to Cybertruck workers in October, with employees reporting the company had told them to go home early or perform other tasks.
The news is the latest evidence that the Elon Musk-founded company is shifting production away from the Cybertruck as demand declines and inventories expand.
Reports from earlier this year suggested that while the cheaper versions of the Cybertruck have sold well, dealers are having a hard time moving the more expensive all-wheel drive versions.
This uneven performance with its truck lineup is forcing the company to shift its production focus and requiring pauses and paid furloughs.
In August, Tesla halted all orders for the rear-wheel drive Cybertruck, the cheapest version, which costs around $61,000 because it couldn’t keep up with the demand.
The least expensive Cybertruck now runs for around $80,000, and Tesla is trying to encourage sales of those vehicles.
To that end, Tesla recently announced new leasing deals for its Cybertrucks, with the cheapest plan costing customers around $1,000 a month.
The leasing deals could help extend Cybertruck’s impressive sales streak.
According to Cox Automotive’s sales report for the third quarter, the Cybertruck was the third-most-popular electric vehicle. Over 16,000 units were sold, trailing only other Teslas and beating out such truck competitors as Ford’s F-150 Lightning and Rivian’s R1T.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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