SAN JOSÉ: US carmaker Tesla has started producing its Cybercab robotaxi, Tesla boss Elon Musk says.
The driverless two-seater is designed without a steering wheel and pedals. Musk published a short video on his social media platform X showing the Cybercab on the production line.
Tesla is increasingly focusing on robotics and robotaxis and expects its advanced driver-assistance system to receive approval across the European Union in the coming months.
It comes as the company's global deliveries have come under pressure, in part due to the expiration of a tax incentive in the United States under President Donald Trump.
Musk has long said Tesla's future lies in autonomous robotaxis and humanoid robots rather than car sales, suggesting that the Cybercab would eventually make up the bulk of Tesla's output.
However, Tesla is lagging far behind its US rival Waymo when it comes to automated driving. Waymo's robotaxis are already making more than 500,000 paid passenger journeys per week in the US.
By comparison, only a handful of Tesla's Model Y autonomous vehicles have so far entered operation. Cybercab test vehicles have so far been seen with humans at the wheel.
Regardless, Musk has insisted that Tesla will soon become the market leader in autonomous driving, arguing that its models will be cheaper as Tesla plans to rely on cameras only, instead of laser radar technology used by Waymo and other developers.
Experts and rivals have questioned whether cars can drive autonomously with sufficient reliability using cameras alone. – dpa
