Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla has “started production” of its self-driving Cybercab – a long-promised project that the billionaire has billed as key to the company’s long-term turnaround.
Splashy promotional videos that Musk and Tesla shared Thursday on X showed the robotaxi, which doesn’t have a steering wheel or pedals, drive itself off the factory floor at the company’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.
“Purpose-built for autonomy,” Tesla captioned the video. “Cybercab in production now at Giga Texas.”
Another video posted by Tesla showed several Cybercabs “in formation” as they took an off-ramp on a highway.
Shares of Tesla were flat in Friday trading. The stock is down about 14% since the start of the year.
Musk has placed a major bet on transforming Tesla, which has struggled with sagging sales of its electric cars, into a broader tech firm focused on artificial intelligence and robotics. Aside from its self-driving cabs, Musk has touted plans to build huge numbers of the humanoid robot called Optimus in the future.
During the company’s first-quarter earnings call, Musk warned investors that Tesla would report “significant increase in capital expenditures” in the future as it ramps up production and investment in its futuristic projects.
Tesla launched its first robotaxi operations last year in Austin and expects to expand to new markets like Phoenix, Miami and Las Vegas in the first half of this year, according to Musk.
A larger rollout will likely depend on how US regulators respond to the self-driving vehicles. In 2024, Musk said he envisioned producing 2 million Cybercabs per year when Tesla reached peak production, but initial production is believed to be on a much smaller scale. The exact number has not been disclosed.
