Hyperdrive
Tesla Cybertruck Sales Were Inflated by a SpaceX Buying Spree
Almost one in five pickups registered during the fourth quarter went to another company in the billionaire’s business empire.
Tesla Cybertrucks outside SpaceX facilities in Hawthorne, California.
Photographer: Ethan Swope/BloombergSales of Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck have been propped up in recent months by Elon Musk’s other companies, an unusual arrangement that further indicates the polarizing pickup is failing to appeal to everyday buyers.
SpaceX, the Musk-led rocket and satellite maker, accounted for 1,279 — or more than 18% — of the 7,071 Cybertrucks registered in the US during the fourth quarter, according to registration data that S&P Global Mobility provided to Bloomberg News. The billionaire’s other ventures acquired another 60 vehicles during those months.