(Bloomberg) -- Sales of Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck have been propped up in recent months by Elon Musk’s other companies, an unusual arrangement that further indicates the polarizing pickup is failing to appeal to everyday buyers.

SpaceX, the Musk-led rocket and satellite maker, accounted for 1,279 — or more than 18% — of the 7,071 Cybertrucks registered in the US during the fourth quarter, according to registration data that S&P Global Mobility provided to Bloomberg News. The billionaire’s other ventures acquired another 60 vehicles during those months.

That means almost one in every five Cybertrucks registered during the period were delivered from one part of Musk’s sprawling business empire to another. And the purchases, likely exceeding $100 million in value, have continued into this year.

The figures reinforce the extent to which consumer demand is faltering only two years after Tesla began delivering the electric pickup. Without those sales to other Musk-run companies — which included xAI, Boring Co. and Neuralink, in addition to SpaceX — Cybertruck registrations in the fourth quarter would have fallen 51%.

“Tesla is running out of buyers for the Cybertruck,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for advisory firm AutoForecast Solutions.

Tesla, Musk, SpaceX, Boring and Neuralink didn’t respond to requests for comment. SpaceX acquired xAI in February.

Tesla is under increasing pressure to reverse slumping sales across its lineup as it faces the prospect of a third straight annual decline. Once the undisputed electric vehicle leader, the company was surpassed by China’s BYD Co. as the world’s top seller of EVs last year.

Investors have largely overlooked Tesla’s declining auto sales as Musk reorients the company around futuristic pursuits including robotaxis and humanoid robots. But those products are still a ways off from becoming tangible business lines, and shareholders’ patience appears to be wearing thin. Since hitting a record high in mid-December, Tesla’s stock has lost a fifth of its value.

High Hopes

The Cybertruck debuted with great fanfare in late 2023, diversifying Tesla’s lineup as a rugged bruiser of a vehicle to counter the sleek Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan that account for the vast majority of the company’s auto sales. Tesla was keen to compete in the lucrative US pickup market dominated by Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV.

Musk predicted before the launch that the company would be churning out 250,000 Cybertrucks annually by 2025. He’s called it the best product Tesla has ever made.