Tesla (TSLA) Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen opened the Tesla Robotaxi (Cybercab) unveiling event. He came upon the stage and invited CEO Elon Musk who rode in the Cybercab to the stage.
Interestingly, as Elon Musk approached the Tesla Robotaxi prototype, the vehicle opened its ‘butterfly doors’. Butterfly or scissor doors were part of the vehicle’s concept design from the start, but seeing them work in real life, they looked even better.
One other thing that the fan-made renders got right was the front light strip. The illumination of the Tesla Robotaxi headlights looked beautiful in aerial drone shots as Musk rode it to the stage.
Tesla Robotaxi Design
“The future should look like the future,” Elon Musk said during the Tesla Robotaxi unveiling event presentation. The design philosophy of the Cybercab robotaxi revolves around this ideology.
Tesla Cybercab robotaxi vehicle design is the most beautiful mass production-intent vehicle the automaker has ever conceived. The prototypes that the automaker brought to the Warner Brothers Studios looked beautiful and with a dark setting gave futuristic vibes without an apocalyptic feel.
The design of the Tesla Robotaxi proves that cars can look futuristic yet pleasing to the eyes as well. Kudos to Franz and his design team at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, California for the achievement.
Just as the front of the vehicle has an edge-to-edge light strip — the rear also has a slim combination light strip as well. Tesla Robotaxi features a sleek design for its lights that was much needed looking at the older models of Model S, X, and Y. The new Tesla Model 3 has improved the design of the lights which is much sharper and better-looking than its previous generation.
Price and Launch Timeline
According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Tesla Cybercab robotaxi will cost less than $30,000. This is the goal of the automaker with the pricing of the 2-seater car that has no steering wheel and any pedals in it.
“We do expect the cost to be below 30,000 dollars,” Musk said.
The launch of the Tesla Robotaxi for the public is tied to the availability of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD). Currently, Tesla offers a “Supervised” version of FSD which requires the person in the driver’s seat to be attentive at all times.
Elon Musk believes that Tesla will start the rollout of FSD Unsupervised in Texas and California next year (2025). Thorough testing and regulatory approvals will allow the automaker to introduce the Cybercab robot taxis on public roads. According to Musk, this is probably going to happen towards the end of 2026 or the start of 2027. Musk stated the following in his keynote presentation:
We do expect actually to start fully autonomous unsupervised FSD in Texas and California next year. And that’s obviously with the Model 3 and Model Y, and then we expect to be in production with the Cybercab which is really highly optimized for autonomous transport.
Well, I tend to be a little optimistic with time frames — but — in 2026. Before 2027, let me put it that way.
And, we will make this vehicle in very high volume but well before that, you will experience a robotic taxi via the Model 3 and Model Y program. Model S & X too… and the Cybertruck too, yes of course.
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Related Robotaxi News & Updates
- Tesla Cybercab first impressions: interior space, charge port, improved FSD cameras, ambient lighting, more
- Tesla sends Cybercab robotaxis from Giga Texas to testing locations across the US
- Tesla challenges UniBev’s squatting of the ‘Cybercab’ trademark with the USPTO
- Musk promises a $30K or less Cybercab delivery before 2027, Tesla (TSLA) produces the first unit at Giga Texas
- Tesla files for additional trademarks for the Cybercab in some US states: Cybercar, Cybervehicle, Robotaxi
- Tesla Cybercab butterfly door function spotted in the wild (video)
 CEO Elon Musk shares the price and launch timeline of the Cybercab robotaxi during the "We, Robot" keynote presentation (pics and info).){kind=link}