Tesla Cancels Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand After 7 Years of Deposits
Reservation holders will receive full refunds and a one-year FSD subscription if they order a Model 3 or Y.
Tesla has officially cancelled the Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand, ending nearly seven years of waiting for reservation holders who placed deposits in late 2019.
What Happened
Reservation holders began receiving emails on October 23 stating that "plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued." Tesla confirmed it is unable to fulfill these reservations and will cancel them, processing full refunds for any payments made within 30 days. As a consolation, the automaker is offering a free one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised) to customers who order a new Model 3 or Model Y instead. The cancellation follows the closure of the Australian reservation page in May 2022, which was replaced with a "Get updates" button without immediate refunds, and recent comments from CEO Elon Musk in 2024 suggesting right-hand-drive certification might occur "sometime next year."
Why It Matters
The decision highlights the economic challenges of expanding the Cybertruck to right-hand-drive markets. The vehicle is currently built only in left-hand-drive configurations, requiring significant re-engineering and certification costs to meet Australian design rules and serve the UK, Japan, and New Zealand. With Cybertruck deliveries estimated at 7,000 to 8,000 units in Q3 2026—a fraction of the production line’s 250,000-unit annual capacity—Tesla appears unwilling to invest in a right-hand-drive program for markets with a combined population of approximately 33 million. This move reinforces the Cybertruck's status as a niche product primarily focused on North American and left-hand-drive international markets like South Korea and the UAE, while it remains blocked in the EU due to pedestrian safety regulations.
The Bottom Line
Tesla has ended its Cybertruck reservation program in Australia and New Zealand after seven years, citing the discontinuation of production plans for these markets. Customers will receive full refunds, and the company is leveraging the cancellation to drive sales of its existing right-hand-drive models, the Model 3 and Model Y.
