[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] Tesla raised prices of its Cybertruck electric pickup in the U.S. market by up to 10 percent and stopped orders for the cheapest base trim. With the starting price of models that can actually be purchased topping $90,000 and plans to end production also in play, some analysts say Cybertruck sales strategy is shifting toward profitability.

Electrek, an electric vehicle outlet, reported on Nov. 6 that Tesla's online configurator showed the Cybertruck dual-motor AWD price rising by $7,500 to $82,490 from $74,990. But that trim currently has its order option disabled, making it effectively unavailable for purchase.

The cheapest model that can actually be ordered is the premium AWD, with its price raised to $92,490 from $84,990. The high-performance Cyberbeast was also increased by $2,500 to $102,490 from $99,990. As a result, buyers need to pay at least $92,490 to purchase a Cybertruck in the U.S. market.

The price adjustment came shortly after Tesla confirmed it would end Cybertruck production around mid-2027 at its Texas gigafactory. The dual-motor AWD trim, which has had orders halted, also shows the higher price, meaning Tesla has raised the price even for a model it is not selling.

The Cybertruck price increase is the second in less than three months. Tesla also raised prices in August by $5,000 for each of two trims. As a result, the premium AWD price has risen by $12,500, or about 15.6 percent, from early August.

The lowest price of models that can actually be purchased jumped to $92,490 from $69,990 in about 10 weeks. The increase is about 32 percent. That is also far from the $39,900 starting price Tesla presented when it unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019.

Sales performance, unlike the price increases, has been weak. Tesla does not separately disclose Cybertruck deliveries, but third-quarter sales of other models, including the Model S, Model X and Semi, were 8,295 units, down 48 percent from a year earlier. Cybertruck sales within that total are estimated at 7,000 to 8,000 units. That is only about 12 percent compared with production capacity of 250,000 units a year.

Tesla previously tried to lift demand by cutting prices. In February, it announced it would sell the dual-motor Cybertruck at $59,990 for only the next 10 days, but it later withdrew the plan. A rear-wheel-drive single-motor model was also discontinued after sales totaled only 173 units. Price cuts and the introduction of cheaper models failed to drive a clear demand recovery.

It is also struggling to expand sales regions. The Cybertruck is not sold in Europe and most right-hand-drive markets, and Tesla last month withdrew plans to launch it in Australia and New Zealand.

Against this backdrop, some interpret the latest price increase as a step focused on boosting profitability of remaining inventory rather than expanding sales volume. Electrek said Tesla's move to block orders for the cheapest trim and raise prices of other models by $7,500 was a strategy to secure higher margins. It said Tesla appears to be trying to maximize profit on remaining vehicles rather than increase sales volume ahead of the planned end of production.

The Cybertruck drew expectations as a mass-market electric pickup ahead of launch on the back of its unconventional design and low starting price. But repeated price increases and the suspension of cheaper trim sales have widened the gap from the initial concept. With production scheduled to end, attention is on how Tesla will adjust prices and trim configurations over the remaining period.