Tesla Halts Cybertruck Production for Australia and New Zealand, Refunding Depositors
The automaker has abandoned plans to sell its electric pickup in those regions, ending reservations that date back to late 2019.
By Tariq Mahmoud ·
Tesla is officially scrapping its plans to offer the Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand, bringing a close to a wait that began more than seven years ago. Emails sent to reservation holders confirm the cancellation of their orders, with deposits set to be returned.
The company's message to those who reserved states, “After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued.” Tesla has confirmed that all payments will be refunded in full within 30 days. For customers willing to switch to a Model 3 or Model Y, the company is offering a complimentary one-year subscription to its FSD (Supervised) software.
Reservations for the electric pickup in Australia began in November 2019, requiring a deposit of A$150. Tesla later closed the Australian reservation page in May 2022, replacing it with an option to sign up for updates, but did not cancel or refund existing reservations at that time. The company had previously shipped a Cybertruck to Australia for a display tour in 2024.
The primary obstacle for Tesla has been the vehicle's production configuration. The Cybertruck is manufactured exclusively in a left-hand-drive format, while both Australia and New Zealand require right-hand-drive models. Additionally, any version sold in Australia must be certified to meet local automotive design regulations, which would require significant investment from the manufacturer.
This move comes as the automaker's international expansion for the model has been limited to left-hand-drive markets. Deliveries of the Cybertruck began in South Korea late last year and in the UAE in January, with configurators subsequently launched in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The vehicle remains unavailable in the European Union, primarily due to pedestrian safety regulations.
The decision also aligns with the vehicle's current sales performance in North America. In the third quarter of 2026, Tesla delivered 8,295 units in its “Other Models” category, which now consists almost entirely of Cybertrucks. This quarterly volume, an annualized pace of around 30,000 units, is a fraction of the 250,000-unit annual capacity Tesla originally built for its production line.
Source: Electrek
