EVwire brief: Tesla aftermarket specialist Unplugged Performance (UP) has made an open offer to take over the Cybertruck production line once Tesla winds it down around mid-2027 to make room for more Cybercab production.
In a post on X on November 10, UP said it would fund the effort through a consortium of investors and run it at no cost to Tesla's floor space, headcount or focus, with Cybercab keeping first call on battery cells. Tesla would earn a license fee plus FSD and Robotaxi network revenue on every vehicle built. UP said it would build the Cybertruck alongside two new variants: a three-row "CyberSUV" and an unmanned "CyberCargo" hauler.
UP has not named its investors or said how much funding it would raise. As of November 11, neither Tesla nor Elon Musk had publicly responded to the offer.
Here's UP's open offer on X:
Thinking of getting an EV, selling yours, or need EV accessories and adapters?
Check out our fresh EVwire EV Deals page for the discounts we've gathered.
How UP says it would work
In a follow-up thread, UP addressed whether it could realistically run a vehicle line. It said it would do so "not alone, and not overnight," and laid out the plan in more detail:
Before Tesla dismantles the line around mid-2027, UP is organizing interested investors, recruiting manufacturing talent and partners, and choosing a location, ideally near Giga Texas. In replies, UP said the work would be done in Austin rather than California, and called it "a 2028 timeline."
Production would need to ramp back up and may be cell constrained, so peak output could be lower and unit costs higher than Tesla's.
UP plans to sell through two channels: vehicles deployed to the Robotaxi network for the highest profit per unit, and private sales at a lower profit per unit.
It sees one platform serving three markets: existing Cybertruck demand, demand for a seven-seat SUV, and Robotaxi network vehicles such as seven-seat people movers, cargo haulers and pickups.
UP said it would use Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots once Tesla has units available, and that costs would depend on access to them.
UP made the case for its involvement at the end of the thread:
There is perhaps no company as loyal or committed to Tesla as UP. We've built on Tesla platforms since 2013, and we'd be honored to carry the torch.
Workers on a Cybertruck pilot production line. UP says it would need to recruit experienced manufacturing talent to restart the line. Image: Tesla
UP has also asked potential investors and strategic partners to email [email protected] with their proposed involvement in the subject line. The company stressed that it is only gauging interest, is not offering to sell securities and is not accepting money or commitments at this time. It added that many Tesla alumni have reached out offering to help.
What is Unplugged Performance?
Founded by Ben Schaffer in 2013, Hawthorne, California-based UP makes aftermarket upgrades for the Tesla Model S, 3, X, Y and Cybertruck, including its UP INVINCIBLE Cybertruck line. Its UP.FIT fleet division builds police and first responder vehicles and built what it calls the world's first Tesla Cybertruck police vehicle. UP.FIT Cybertrucks have been delivered to agencies including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The offer builds on an X Article Schaffer published on November 7, which proposed keeping the Cybertruck line running for both driven and no-controls variants. UP said its UP.FIT arm will keep building Cybertruck first responder vehicles regardless.
Cybertrucks on the production line at Giga Texas, which Tesla plans to dismantle around mid-2027. Image: Tesla
By the way, it sure looks to us like you are an EV geek like ourselves.
Which means you belong with us: join 14,700+ reading our newsletters: subscribe
Context:
Musk announced on November 6 that Tesla would wind down Cybertruck production at Giga Texas, the vehicle's only factory, around the middle of 2027 to make room for more Cybercab production.
He later said the Cybertruck order backlog is far more than Tesla can build before the line is dismantled around June or July, and that Tesla would add an extra shift to fill as many orders as possible. Musk also said the decision isn't about profitability, but about freeing up people, factory space and machinery to scale the Cybercab.
That push is already moving fast in Texas. Tesla now has more vehicles on the state's autonomous vehicle register than Waymo, 1,302 to 1,297, and is targeting its first Cybercab customer deliveries by the end of 2026, with Cybercab rides in Dallas expected this month.
Source: Unplugged Performance on X, Unplugged Performance thread, Elon Musk on X, Unplugged Performance
DIG DEEPER: For more Tesla news, check out our Teslawire. If you have not already, join 14,700+ EV geeks getting our newsletter: subscribe.
