SpaceX purchased 1,279 Tesla Cybertrucks during the fourth quarter of 2025, according to new vehicle-registration data [1].
The transaction suggests that Tesla's sales figures for the electric truck may be artificially inflated by another company owned by Elon Musk. This raises questions about the actual market demand for the Cybertruck and the transparency of Tesla's reporting.
Registration data from the U.S. indicates that the 1,279 vehicles purchased by SpaceX accounted for 18% of every Cybertruck registered in the fourth quarter of 2025 [1]. Other reports indicate that SpaceX accounted for close to a fifth of all Tesla Cybertruck sales throughout the previous year [2].
Some estimates suggest the total volume of Cybertruck sales was boosted by approximately 50% due to the SpaceX buying spree [2]. This discrepancy between registration percentages and total sales impact highlights the volatility of the model's delivery numbers, a key metric for investors.
The purchases were reported in April 2026 [1, 3]. The move is viewed as a strategy to prop up Tesla's sales numbers and provide Elon Musk with greater flexibility in corporate governance [3, 1]. By absorbing a large volume of inventory, the company could reduce accountability for the model's weak consumer demand [3, 1].
SpaceX and Tesla both operate under the leadership of Musk, creating a circular flow of capital, and assets. The use of a private company to support the sales targets of a public company is a central point of the current governance concerns [3].
“SpaceX purchased 1,279 Tesla Cybertrucks during the fourth quarter of 2025”
The use of SpaceX to purchase a significant percentage of Cybertruck inventory suggests a potential conflict of interest and a lack of independent oversight. When a CEO uses a private entity to bolster the performance metrics of a public company, it can mislead shareholders about the product's actual market viability and the health of the company's demand pipeline.
