Elon Musk has said that Tesla has dug its own grave with its Cybertruck electric truck, warning the company’s investors that it cannot be mass-produced in the near future, Business Insider reports.

The South African billionaire made the comments during a call Wednesday where he presented the electric car maker’s financial results to investors. According to CNBC, Tesla’s total revenue was $23.35 billion, slightly below analysts’ forecast of $24.1 billion.

Among other things, Musk told investors that the Cybertruck’s “unique” design makes Tesla face huge challenges in its mass production and that the goal of producing 250,000 electric vans a year won’t be reached until 2025.

“We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck,” he noted, adding that the vehicle is “one of those special products that comes along every now and then.”

“And the special products that appear from time to time are simply incredible to bring to market in large volumes,” he noted.

Musk also said he wanted to “temper expectations” for the launch of the Cybertruck, which Tesla announced on November 30 after its first electric truck rolled out of the factory gates in mid-July.

“I want to emphasize that there will be enormous challenges to achieve mass production of the Cybertruck and then make the Cybertruck cash flow positive. It’s a normal thing,” Musk said, also citing an 18-month timeframe until it becomes a reality.

The stormy story of Cybertruck, Tesla’s electric pickup truck

Musk personally unveiled the Cybertruck in November 2019, promising at the time that Tesla customers would receive their first electric trucks in 2021. But analysts have since noted that the goal is ambitious, and that Musk is known for his promises that he will do it. don’t stick around when it comes to deadlines.

However, the truck struck a chord with its futuristic design, which some saw as over-the-top, and a video of the unveiling went viral on social media after the vehicle’s reinforced windows shattered when hit by a metal bullet meant to show just how strong they are.

Musk, who cursed the next second after the incident, later tried to explain that the order in which the demonstration was held was to blame. However, this did not convince many.

Anyway, Tesla’s CEO announced just 3 days after the demo that 200,000 people had pre-ordered the Cybertruck. At the time, a reservation cost $100, meaning Tesla quickly made $20 million on Musk’s promises alone.

But in August 2021, after much speculation, Tesla announced that the Cybertruck would not be released until the end of the year, as promised to customers. Musk authorized Lars Morava, the electric car maker’s vice president of automotive engineering, to make the announcement.

Then last January, Tesla announced that production of the Cybertruck wouldn’t actually begin until 2023. In April of this year, Tesla finally announced that production of the Cybertruck would begin “on schedule” as planned at a new plant in Texas.

Tesla says the Cybertruck can go from 0 to 100 km/h in less than three seconds, and the truck will be available in three models: from $39,900 and a 400 km range for the base model to $69,900 and 800 km of range for the model. Top model.