A Tesla “Cybercab” in downtown Austin, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2026.
Ronaldo Schemidt | Afp | Getty Pictures
Tesla shares slid 6% on Friday after the electrical car maker’s long-awaited Cybercab replace didn’t impress buyers who’re betting the corporate can turn into a serious participant within the U.S. robotaxi market at the moment dominated by Alphabet’s Waymo.
The Cybercab, which Tesla first confirmed off virtually two years in the past, has been in manufacturing since April. It is a bronze-colored, two-seat robotaxi with scissor, or butterfly, doorways and no steering wheel or pedals.
Tesla held an occasion Thursday in Austin, Texas, nevertheless it was invite-only, wasn’t streamed and CEO Elon Musk by no means made an look. The corporate mentioned customers of its Tesla Robotaxi ride-hailing app may now catch a driverless journey in a Cybercab inside a “geofenced” space round Austin.
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets wrote in a word on Friday that Tesla had solely “supplied restricted new incremental disclosure relative to prior bulletins, with key excellent questions round pricing, manufacturing cadence, and regulatory approvals remaining open.”
“The occasion lacked a public livestream — a notable departure from Tesla’s historically theatrical product reveals,” wrote the analysts, who suggest shopping for Tesla shares.
Additionally on Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an “audit question” to find out if Tesla had correctly self-certified the Cybercab as protected to be used on public roads, and in compliance with relevant federal security requirements.
The inventory’s drop on Friday follows a 5.4% gain on Thursday ahead of the occasion.
Wells Fargo analysts revealed a word with the headline “TSLA Cybercab Launch Occasion Underwhelms” and famous that the corporate’s Austin robotaxi service is “going through early execution points.” Customers have shared movies and complaints about Tesla Robotaxi routing errors, missed locations and extreme wait or trip occasions.
