Tesla Self-Driving Taxi Delayed Until October

The unveiling of Tesla’s eagerly anticipated self-driving taxi has been postponed.

The so-called Cybercab was due to be unveiled on August 8, as revealed by CEO Elon Musk in a post on X in April.

But now it is being reported that the world’s first sight of the much-hyped, purpose-built autonomous vehicle will come in October.

The delay will give the team working on the project more time to develop additional prototypes, according to Bloomberg, which broke the news. Elements of the design are also being reworked.

To date, neither Musk nor Tesla has commented publicly about the change of plan, although it is understood the decision has been communicated internally.

The news will undoubtedly come as a disappointment – if perhaps not a surprise – to the millions of Tesla fans across the globe who had been eagerly awaiting the reveal of the self-driving taxi, which has usurped a proposed “affordable” sub-$25,000 car as the top priority in the company’s vehicle line-up.

With demand for electric cars slowing globally – and Tesla production and deliveries dropping year over year  – Musk has been particularly vocal about the need to accelerate self-driving solutions.

He posted on X in April: “Going balls to the wall for autonomy is a blindingly obvious move. Everything else is like variations on a horse carriage.”

Related:Musk Says Tesla Self-Driving Taxi Coming in August

In tandem with his insistence that Tesla should be considered an AI and robotics company, rather than a conventional automaker, the excitement generated by the prospect of seeing the self-driving taxi had added more than $250 billion to the company’s market capitalization.

Tesla has even gone as far as teasing how the Cybercab could be deployed in the future by showing screenshots on X of what an Uber-like service might look like when incorporated into the company’s app.

The anticipation has only been heightened by the recent unveiling of the Verne self-driving taxi developed by hypercar maker Rimac, which is run by another of the auto industry’s most colorful characters, Mate Rimac.

Predictably, the sense of deflation brought about by the Cybercab delay has been tangible, with Tesla stock falling 8.4% in a day – its biggest drop since January – and a mixed reaction on social media.

However, cynical seasoned Musk watchers have become accustomed to the CEO’s optimistic claims and missed deadlines regarding automated functionality on his company’s cars, particularly in relation to its Full Self Driving assistance package.

One customer attempted to bring a class action in 2022, complaining the company had “deceived” consumers by “representing that it was perpetually on the cusp of perfecting that technology and finally fulfilling its promise of producing a fully self-driving car.” And in June it was confirmed it was facing a court case regarding California Department of Motor Vehicles’ claims that it has misled consumers about the capabilities of its driver assistance tech.

Related:Tesla Teases Ride-Hailing Self Driving Taxi; Promises Cheaper Models

With Musk having initially said in 2015 that Teslas would deliver full autonomy by 2018, the scrutiny on the Cybercab is understandable, and only likely to intensify until the wraps eventually come off.