Delivered · Late
Cybertruck production late 2021
“The company anticipates that production of the lower-priced Cybertrucks should begin in late 2021 with the …”
goalposts: 2021 → 2022 → late 2022 → 2023 · moved 3×
“About 3 years from now, we're confident we can make a very compelling $25,000 electric vehicle that's also fully autonomous.”
— Elon Musk · Sep 22, 2020 · Tesla Battery Day, Sept 22 2020 (official Tesla YouTube channel, verified via YouTube oEmbed) ↗
▶ WATCH HIM SAY IT — TESLA BATTERY DAY, SEPT 22 2020 (OFFICIAL TESLA YOUTUBE CHANNEL, VERIFIED VIA YOUTUBE OEMBED)
What actually happened
No $25,000 Tesla existed by late 2023 — or since. Reuters reported in April 2024 that Tesla had scrapped the dedicated $25k 'Model 2' program in favor of the Cybercab; the cheaper 'Standard' Model 3/Y trims launched October 2025 start around $37,000, and none are fully autonomous. Reuters — Tesla scraps low-cost car plans (April 5, 2024) ↗
The Progression
Sep 22, 2020
The promise: “About 3 years from now, we're confident we can make a very compelling $25,000 electric vehicle that's also fully autonomous.” · Tesla Battery Day, Sept 22 2020 (official Tesla YouTube channel, verified via YouTube oEmbed) ↗
Sep 22, 2023
Deadline passed. No $25,000 Tesla existed by late 2023 — or since. Reuters reported in April 2024 that Tesla had scrapped the dedicated $25k 'Model 2' program in favor of the Cybercab; the cheaper 'Standard' Model 3/Y trims launched October 2025 start around $37,000, and none are fully autonomous. Reuters — Tesla scraps low-cost car plans (April 5, 2024) ↗
Today · Jun 12, 2026
Status: Missed · 0.5 years late. Never happened.
The $25,000 Tesla 'about 3 years from now' promise at Battery Day on September 22, 2020 was the headline of the event, premised on halving battery cost per kWh with the new 4680 cells. Three years later no such car existed; in April 2024 Reuters reported the low-cost 'Model 2' was scrapped for the Cybercab, and the eventual budget options were de-contented Model 3/Y trims at $37,000+. This was Musk's second $25k-car promise after the 2016 version.
Receipts
LAST CHECKED 2026-06-12- [VIDEO] Tesla Battery Day, Sept 22 2020 (official Tesla YouTube channel, verified via YouTube oEmbed)
- [REPORT] CNBC, Sept 22 2020 — quotes the $25,000 line verbatim
More from the feed
Delivered · Late
Missed
Delivered · Late
Cybertruck volume production in 2022
“If we get lucky, we'll be able to do a few deliveries toward the end of this year, but I expect volume prod…”
goalposts: 2022 → 2023 → late 2023 · moved 2×
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