Leave it to the Tesla fanboys on X to keep finding out every little thing they can about the possibility of the Cybercab. High-volume production is expected (claimed) to be happening in April, down in the “Giga Texas” plant. Is this another random claim from Elon Musk? Tesla enthusiasts believe it’s the real deal.
Recently, someone claimed to have witnessed two Cybercab robotaxis on a production line in Tesla’s Texas factories. While some are claiming the image is AI (because it’s apparently that hard to believe that the Cybercab is actually coming ever), the image shows the golden Cybercabs without doors and front panels, which could be added later in production. Inside, the seats are already installed, and the front one has a steering wheel. That’s a bit peculiar, since the Cybercab notoriously won’t have one.
The Cybercab will also come without a rear window. I mean, the Full Self-Driving computer doesn’t need one when it has nine cameras instead. Although the reliability of this mode is continuously in question, with California refusing to even call it FSD, since a human driver is still very much needed in Tesla’s customer cars. And that’s the thing… Despite the production claims, rumors, and images, it feels like the Cybercab is nowhere near where it should be. Not that this stopped Musk from releasing things before.
The Tesla Cybercab is coming, but at what cost?
Recently, a few YouTubers had the chance to check out the Tesla Cybercab at SXSW 2026, giving us a glimpse at its underwhelming appearance. It was clearly not a production-spec vehicle at the event, with panel gaps and unaligned doors. The wheels were also glued onto the tires. This would obviously be corrected when production begins. My question is moreso is it truly reaching production in April? Just a few weeks?
The interior is the more troubling part of the Cybercab. Inside is a minimalist two-seater cabin. I think Tesla fans would call it futuristic and clean. But I think it’s just an excuse to be lazy and cheap. There is a massive 21-inch center screen, no steering wheel, and notably difficult-to-locate charging ports. The trunk is weirdly narrow and long. One YouTuber noted the cheap-looking, shiny seats. And to that, Tesla fans said HOW DARE YOU.
“They don’t put the ‘nice material’ on the seats because this is basically a BUS. You need very long-lasting, hard-wearing materials, or it’s going to be destroyed, especially without a driver monitoring what folks do in the car,” said one comment.
“The seat material was probably selected for cleanability,” coped another.
To me, the Cybercab just doesn’t seem visually impressive — or ready. We can give all these excuses for why it’s bare and ugly, but Waymo managed a normal interior. I guess the argument would be that the Cybercab is made specifically for robotaxi services and is allegedly just $30,000. But alright, that just proves my point that it’s cheap. And noticeably so. A Tesla engineer recently said that the Cybercab may have “50% fewer parts” than a Model 3, allowing the company to scale more quickly. Again, due to its simplicity and cheapness. But maybe that does point to the April timeline being accurate. As long as you don’t mind a hideous, bare bones vehicle.
However — and perhaps more importantly — the service itself doesn’t seem ready. Right now, without the promised Cybercab revealed in 2024, Tesla has been running a very, very limited robotaxi service in Austin and San Francisco with some Model Y vehicles. Not only is it tough to flag down a ride with the small fleet, but most are not fully autonomous. There may even be a person driving behind you to monitor the ride. Despite being barely functional, Musk has claimed that the service will reach a handful of new cities in just a few months. Some Tesla fans have spotted the robotaxi training in Phoenix.
With a shaky prototype, an ugly interior, questionable FSD, and a robotaxi service some described as “a tech demo with a booking screen,” I am failing to see how this will all come together by April. Well, I’m sure Musk can scramble to get something together as he’s done in the past, but I doubt it’ll be on the scale we were promised. But if Tesla fans see even one Cybercab on the street come April, I’m sure the excuses and praise will start rolling in.
