Nov 9 (Reuters) - Tesla's head of the

Cybertruck program, Siddhant Awasthi, said late on Sunday that

he is leaving the U.S. electric vehicle maker after more than

eight years with the company.

Awasthi, who began his Tesla journey as an intern, most

recently oversaw the Cybertruck program from its engineering

phase to large-scale production, leading efforts in product

strategy, quality enhancements, and supply chain management,

according to his LinkedIn profile.

In addition to heading the Cybertruck initiative, he also

took on leadership of Tesla's Model 3 program last July.

"Eight years ago, when I started as an intern, I never

dreamed I'd one day have the opportunity to lead the Cybertruck

program and bring it to reality," Awasthi wrote in a LinkedIn

post late Sunday.

The Elon Musk-led automaker posted record deliveries in the

third quarter, driven by a rush of U.S. buyers trying to grab a

$7,500 tax credit before it expired on September 30. However,

analysts expect a sharp slump in the fourth quarter as the

incentive for EV purchases vanishes.

Sales of the Cybertruck have faced challenges, with Tesla

offering thousands of dollars in discounts on inventory vehicles

in recent months.

A U.S. recall filing in March indicated that 46,096

Cybertrucks had been produced between the vehicle's introduction

in November 2023 and early this year.