LOS ANGELES: Elon Musk unveiled long-awaited prototypes of a Tesla Inc. robotaxi called Cybercab, saying production may start in 2026 and that the vehicle could cost less than US$30,000 (RM129,000).
The chief executive officer hitched a ride in one of the two-door sedans on his way to the stage at the carmaker’s event late Thursday in Burbank, California.
Musk also showcased a futuristic-looking Robovan concept that he said could transport 20 people at a time.
Tesla has a track record of blowing past timelines Musk has offered for all manner of future products, and the robotaxi event itself was delayed two months after he ordered changes to the prototype, Bloomberg first reported in July.
The unveiling itself got under way almost an hour behind schedule.
Musk told the crowd gathered at a Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. movie studio lot that consumers will be able to buy the Cybercab, then offered a hedged answer when someone in the crowd shouted to ask when it would be available.
"Probably, well I tend to be little optimistic on timeframes, but in 2026,” Musk said. "Before 2027, let me put it that way.”
The CEO’s presentation lacked any technical detail of how Tesla will advance the suite of driver-assistance features it markets as Full Self-Driving to the point where consumers will no longer need to supervise the system.
Musk said Tesla expects this capability to be available to Model 3 and Model Y owners in Texas and California next year.
"The only specific was the US$30,000 for a Cybercab,” said Nancy Tengler, the chief executive officer of Laffer Tengler Investments and a Tesla investor who attended the event.
"The concepts were all grand. Is the idea super cool? Absolutely.”
Musk wrote on X, his social media network, that the event started late because a person in the crowd had a medical emergency.
