Tesla Halts Cybertruck Production for Australian and New Zealand Markets
The automaker is canceling reservations and refunding deposits for customers in those countries, ending years of waiting for a right-hand-drive version of the electric pickup.
By Kateryna Melnyk ·
For people in Australia and New Zealand who placed deposits on a Cybertruck, the wait is over. Tesla has ended its plans to build the electric pickup for those countries, and it is sending emails to reservation holders to confirm their orders are canceled and their money will be returned. The move marks the conclusion of a process that began for some customers in late 2019, when they put down an initial deposit to reserve a spot in line for the vehicle.
The email from Tesla states, “After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued.” It adds, “As a result, we’re unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled.” The company is promising full refunds for all payments made, with the process to be completed within 30 days.
In place of the canceled vehicle, Tesla is offering a consolation deal. Reservation holders who choose to purchase a different vehicle, specifically a Model 3 or Model Y, will receive a free one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised). This provides an alternative path for customers who want to stay with the company despite the Cybertruck cancellation.
The decision follows years of waiting and changing statements from the company. Australian customers began putting down deposits in November 2019. In May 2022, Tesla quietly removed the Australian reservation page from its website but did not cancel existing orders or issue refunds at that time. Customers who had already reserved a vehicle continued to wait.
Further speculation was generated in 2024 when a Cybertruck was sent to the region 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 for Australia and New Zealand.
The core issue has been the vehicle's design. The Cybertruck is manufactured only in a left-hand-drive configuration. Markets like Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Japan require a right-hand-drive version, and Australia also requires certification under its own specific design rules. Developing a right-hand-drive model would require significant investment.
That investment may not be justified by current sales volumes. Tesla’s recent financial reports indicate that deliveries of its ‘Other Models’ category, which now consists almost entirely of Cybertruck, totaled 8,295 units in the third quarter of 2026. This figure suggests an annual production rate far below the 250,000 units per year the production line was built to handle. The company’s recent international launches have focused on left-hand-drive markets such as South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel.
Tesla’s announcement about the Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand was sent out just one day after the company reported its Q3 2026 earnings. The cancellation of these reservations represents a definitive end to a long period of uncertainty for customers in those countries who had been waiting for a vehicle that will not be produced for them.
The company has not released further comment on its decision. For now, reservation holders in Australia and New Zealand can expect refunds within the next month, and the option to purchase a different Tesla model with a complimentary FSD (Supervised) subscription.
Source: Electrek
