Electric vehicle giant Tesla (TSLA) has lost another key insider, with Cybertruck chief Siddhant Awasthi leaving the company amid sluggish sales. Awasthi announced his decision Sunday night on his LinkedIn profile, describing it as “one of the hardest decisions” of his life after an impressive eight-year tenure.
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Awasthi joined Tesla as an intern and quickly climbed the ranks to head Tesla’s most ambitious project, the Cybertruck division. Last summer, he was also promoted to oversee the Model 3 program. Awasthi was instrumental in turning CEO Elon Musk’s vision for the Cybertruck into a reality, leading the program step by step from engineering concepts to large-scale production.
Tesla Autos Struggle with Sales
Tesla posted record auto deliveries in the third quarter, ending September 30, 2025, as drivers rushed to buy EVs before the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit. Notably, analysts are anticipating a sharp decline in EV sales in Q4 as this incentive disappears.
The Cybertruck has faced particularly severe challenges. Tesla reported that Q3 Cybertruck sales plunged 62.6% year-over-year, with just 5,385 units sold compared to over 14,000 sold in the same period last year. This downturn marks a sharp reversal from Musk’s ambitious plans to sell thousands of EVs. Current projections show that Tesla could sell only about 20,000 to 25,000 Cybertrucks per year, much lower than its original goal of 250,000 annually.
Musk was always highly optimistic about Cybertruck’s success, promoting it as a leading EV pickup truck. However, the Cybertruck has achieved little of what was promised back in 2019, when Musk initially unveiled it. The final version has fewer features, less driving range, and came with a higher-than-expected price tag, starting at nearly $80,000 after the cancelation of a more affordable variant.
The growing sales challenges have forced Tesla to offer significant discounts on Cybertrucks and even repurpose unsold vehicles for Elon Musk’s other ventures, including SpaceX and xAI. Overall, Awasthi’s departure reveals that Tesla is struggling internally to meet expectations for its key electric pickup and to keep up with changes in the EV market.
Is Tesla Stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell?
On TipRanks, TSLA stock has a Hold consensus rating based on 14 Buys, 10 Holds, and 10 Sell ratings. The average Tesla price target of $382.54 implies 10.9% downside potential from current levels. Year-to-date, Tesla stock has gained 6.4%.
