New Delhi: Tesla has taken a big step in its autonomous vehicle move with their first purpose-built driverless vehicle coming out of the Gigafactory Texas production facility, the automaker claimed in its social media post yesterday. The Cybercab is the brand’s competition for Alphabet’s Waymo robotaxis and Amazon-backed Zoox’s pods.
The two-seater coupe, launched in 2024 at the brand’s We Robot event, comes without a steering wheel or pedals. It is guided by the brand’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software, which is also available on its passenger vehicles. Still, on private vehicles, FSD still needs complete driver supervision. In theory, without any steering or pedals, the Cybercab will be completely autonomous.
First Cybercab off the production line at Giga Texas pic.twitter.com/kY8vCqtrCA
— Tesla (@Tesla) February 17, 2026
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that the Robotaxis and their humanoid robots are central to their future and could unlock trillions of dollars in value. Their Model Y robotaxis are already operational in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, with human safety monitors on board. While the company has been multiplying unsupervised rides, the number of fully driverless Teslas in Austin is now seven, according to Robotaxi Tracker.
When can the Cybercab be expected to arrive?
Tesla Cybercab has no pedals or steering on the inside and will be guided by the brand’s FSD software
Musk had said that the Cybercab was on track to start in April. These may be early production units, with mass rollout scheduled to begin in the second quarter. He also said that in the past, a simpler manufacturing process would have allowed Tesla to make about five million robotaxis annually, though nothing official is known.
Tesla has said that they plan to assemble different sections of theCybercab in dedicated areas of the factory and then bring the sub-assembled parts together in the end, resulting in a cost reduction, less floor space requirement and speeding up manufacturing.
Of course, perfecting this new manufacturing approach will be challenging. Hence, initial production of the Cybercab is likely to ramp up very gradually, which Elon Musk has previously described as being “painfully slow.” At the same time, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system continues to face intense scrutiny, especially since its alleged involvement in fatal accidents that have triggered multiple investigations in the USA.