You really can’t miss it. It’s a pickup truck that looks a bit like a love child of a DeLorean DMC-12 and a tactical vehicle from a science-fiction franchise. It can be none other than the Tesla Cybertruck, the California-based EV automaker’s most controversial vehicle. Now, the brand’s brutish electric truck isn’t selling despite a sizable $4,000 or $6,000 discount. And CEO Elon Musk may have something to do with it. 

A possible end to the $7,500 tax credit and Elon Musk’s public image are contributing to platoons of unsold Tesla Cybertrucks

Tesla is having a tough time selling its inventories of Cybertrucks. While the video game-ish EV pickup truck has a veritable army of vehement supporters, Cybertruck populations go unsold. So what does Tesla do? The electric vehicle giant is offering notable discounts for the hulking EV pickup trucks.

At the Foundation Series level, the Cybertruck gets a whopping $6,000 cut, whereas the standard, dual-motor All-Wheel Drive trim enjoys a $4,000 discount. Still, with a starting price of around $82,000 before a discount, $4,000 doesn’t seem like much of an incentive. The unmoving inventories and discounts point to one thing: the Cybertruck simply isn’t selling the way the automaker envisioned. 

According to Forbes, the Capitol Hill rumor mill is buzzing about the end of the $7,500 EV incentive, a sizeable consideration for would-be EV adopters. President Donald Trump mentioned discontinuing the incentive while on the campaign trail.

The loss of the incentive could drive EV shoppers to consider alternatives, like plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). What’s more, without a more affordable single-motor Cybertruck to drop the entry price point further, the brand’s goal of a quarter of a million Cybertrucks might be overly optimistic. 

Musk’s words (and gestures) have sparked protests targeting the Cybertruck

Tesla’s recent foibles have another factor, and it’s the brand’s eccentric CEO. Elon Musk’s problematic salute and government influence has prompted his critics to protest, targeting Tesla vehicles and dealers in the process. As part of the protests, drivers are projecting anti-Elon Musk messages on the wide, flat tailgates of Cybertrucks.

It’s all part of protestors’ goals to create a negative stigma around the vehicles, and in doing so, impact Musk. One student group in California went as far as to threaten local Tesla owners with “physical damage” to foster “shame” among drivers. As such, would-be Cybertruck owners may think twice before spending around $80,000 on the base Cybertruck.