Multiple newly built Tesla Cybercabs spotted at GigaTexas

Last week, we reported that Tesla had produced its first steering wheel- and pedal-free two-seat robotaxi, the Cybercab, at its Texas factory — marking a significant milestone in the company’s autonomy ambitions.

Now, just days later, multiple golden Cybercabs that are eventually expected to cost around A$45,000 have been spotted at GigaTexas, looking identical to each other. 

In new drone footage from a Texas-based drone operator and factory build enthusiast, Joe Tegtmeyer, drone footage shows newly produced Cybercabs parked in the outbound lot at Tesla’s Austin factory.

In the footage, the three Cybercabs have no steering wheel, which would make them fully autonomous and also appear to have a tow hook attached to the front bumper.

This highlights that these could be vehicles for a safety evaluation program from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), similar to ANCAP in Australia.

These models also have staggered wheels, with the front featuring hubcaps and the rear featuring larger alloy wheels, painted white.

Official mass production of the Cybercab is expected to start in under two months at the Texas and according to the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, will be it’s highest volume vehicle in years to come.

Tesla first revealed the Cybercab at the company’s “We, Robot” event in late 2024. 

Hundreds of fully autonomous test rides with the Gold Cybercabs were offered, along with those in the company’s best-selling Model Y in its Robotaxi form. 

This event was on closed roads at Warner Bros. studios in California, and grabbed global attention.

Since then, plenty of sightings of the golden model have been made, with most occurring either at Tesla’s test track near Fremont, California or in Texas.

On-road testing has also been spotted in various conditions, including snow and rain, with many test vehicles having a physical steering wheel as a backup for evaluating engineers.

The Cybercab is expected to cost around A$45,000 as a self-driving robotaxi, with good boot space and fewer interior components than Tesla’s other passenger-car products.

According to Tesla engineers, this car is expected to have 50% fewer parts than the Model 3, helping reduce costs and scale as mass production begins in the coming months.

If Tesla meets its stated timeline, the Cybercab could represent one of the most ambitious attempts yet to commercialise fully autonomous transport at scale.