A fleet of unsold Cybertrucks is currently rotting in a decaying mall parking lot in Michigan as Tesla fails to live up to sales predictions. This has not only earned laughs from Elon Musk critics, but a warning from local officials to the landlord who is storing the trucks there against city codes.
Reddit users responded to the news by reporting similar Cybertruck dumping grounds in cities across the U.S.
“Need a Cybertruck? We got you.”
On May 16, Instagram user @karkatstepdad revealed the unsanctioned Cybertruck lot to the world in a video mocking her hometown. The many dozens of unwanted electric vehicles reside in Farmington Hills—a Detroit suburb that young locals love to hate.
“Farmington Hills, y’all,” says the Instagram user as she walks among the trucks. “Look at what you’re missing. Need a Cybertruck? We got you.”
The video gained a lot of attention for such a small account, especially after local media outlets like Crain’s Detroit Business started reporting on the issue. According to the article, city officials have contacted the Hunter’s Square landlord. They then let them know that they can’t store that junk in the mall’s parking lot.
Farmington Hills director of planning and community development Charmaine Kettler-Schmult said in a statement that the landlord has “been notified that storage of vehicles is not a permitted use.”
“The enforcement process is being followed and takes time,” she added.
The king of all flops
Back in April, Forbes declared the Cybertruck to be “the auto industry’s biggest flop in decades.” After Musk predicted that 250,000 units would sell annually, the actual sales have landed at 82 percent below that target, reaching under 40,000 in 2024. All those extra trucks have to go somewhere, and some might be in your town.
However, Redditors on the r/technology sub responding to the story have reported Cybertruck graveyards in cities including Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Nashville, Franklin, Tigard, Sarasota, and areas of New Jersey and Colorado.
“They’re doing the same thing in Indianapolis,” reported u/outerproduct. “The dealership parks them at the mall instead of at their dealership.”
“Same here in NJ,” wrote u/TheVermonster.
“They use the mall across the road as storage. They have roughly 500 cars parked there. They’re even doing work on the cars in parking lots. I see probably a dozen people walking from car to car with laptops, all the doors open, and lights flashing like crazy. I’m sure they’re violating their insurance by doing work in a public parking space.”
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