Launching two months early! Cybercab's first mass-produced vehicle rolls off the line

Tesla’s first autonomous driving taxi, Cybercab, is now mass-produced two months ahead of schedule.

On February 18, Beijing time, Tesla China announced that the first mass-produced Cybercab has rolled off the production line at the Texas Gigafactory in the United States. The vehicle was first unveiled at Tesla’s “WE, ROBOT” event on October 10, 2024. It is designed specifically for fully autonomous driving, with no steering wheel or pedals.

Previously, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that Cybercab was planned to start production in April 2026, but the actual timeline may be moved up. Musk also stated that consumers could choose to purchase this vehicle, with an estimated price around $25,000.

Industry experts believe that the rollout of Cybercab marks a key phase in Tesla’s autonomous driving strategy.

According to reports from the Daily Economic News, prior to this, Tesla’s autonomous taxi project mainly relied on the 2025 Model Y, which still required a human safety driver during operation.

Since January 2026, Tesla has begun offering limited autonomous driving services without safety drivers to the public. Currently, its Robotaxi fleet has exceeded 350 vehicles, with plans to expand operations to Phoenix, Arizona, and Miami, Florida, in the first half of 2026.

Technologically, the mass production of Cybercab validates Tesla’s transition from Level 2 driver assistance to Level 4 autonomous driving. Xpeng Motors Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng once said, “What impresses me most is that Tesla’s mass-produced cars and the pilot Robotaxi fleet use a single autonomous driving software to achieve this.”

On safety data, Tesla disclosed that vehicles operating under supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) perform significantly better than human drivers. The average interval between major collisions is approximately 5.3 million miles, well above industry averages; for minor collisions, the average interval is about 1.6 million miles, also far exceeding industry norms.

However, there are differing opinions within the industry regarding Tesla’s Robotaxi development path.

Previously, Zhang Ning, Vice President and Head of Robotaxi Business at Pony.ai, told the Daily Economic News that Tesla’s inherent limitations mean its current vehicles can only serve as Level 2 assistance vehicles. To develop truly autonomous Level 4 Robotaxis, Tesla would need to start from scratch with new L4 autonomous vehicle development and design. While Tesla might leverage the technology and data accumulated from Level 2 assistance, ultimately, it will need to define products at Level 4, expand testing, and iterate data to gradually deploy driverless operations in small batches.

Based on this, Zhang Ning predicts that over the next two to three years, Tesla’s Robotaxi development may follow a gradual approach similar to other companies, possibly delaying until 2027.

He further explained that although Tesla can leverage some experience, capital, and talent from Level 2 assistance systems, achieving large-scale mass production and operation will still take time. Therefore, it is unlikely that Tesla will quickly convert all mass-produced vehicles into Level 4 Robotaxis.

Addressing the “Vehicle Legality” Issue

While Cybercab has achieved early mass production, U.S. regulators have yet to clarify when it will meet roadworthiness standards.

According to observations from the Daily Economic News, current U.S. regulations still require vehicles to retain manual control devices, and fully steering-wheel-free models need additional approval. This means Cybercab must first resolve the “vehicle illegality” issue and then seek further approval from regulatory agencies to operate commercially.

Notably, Amazon’s Zoox received such a federal exemption in August 2025. Its steering-wheel-free, pedal-less autonomous vehicles are now authorized to provide limited public transportation services in Las Vegas and San Francisco.

The vehicle design eliminates traditional front and rear sections, with a fully symmetrical body supporting bidirectional travel.

In terms of performance, Tesla’s core financial and delivery data in 2025 declined. The financial report shows that in 2025, Tesla’s revenue was $94.827 billion, down about 3% year-over-year; GAAP net profit was $3.794 billion, down approximately 46%. Delivery figures for 2025 totaled 1.6361 million vehicles, an 8.55% decrease from the previous year.

Despite the disappointing sales, Tesla is increasingly emphasizing AI, robotics, and related fields.

In May 2025, Tesla removed its target of delivering 20 million vehicles annually by 2030 from its impact report. In September of the same year, Tesla’s “Grand Plan Chapter Four” stated that the company’s focus is shifting from electric vehicles and energy to artificial intelligence and robotics. Musk emphasized that about 80% of Tesla’s future value will come from the Optimus robot.

However, the market reaction to Tesla’s transformation prospects has been cautious. As of the close on February 23, Tesla’s stock price was $399.83 per share, down 2.91% for the day, roughly 19.8% below its December 2025 peak of $498.83. Institutions like Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo recently downgraded Tesla, citing that optimistic expectations for AI and robotics are already reflected in the stock price, while the core automotive business remains under pressure. Wells Fargo noted that the commercialization of Robotaxi and robots may be slower than expected, increasing market concerns about Tesla’s transition.