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Tesla’s $25k car and dedicated robotaxi will be Cybertruck-inspired: report
Tesla’s $25,000 car and the company’s dedicated robotaxi past will both feature a design that’s inspired by the Cybertruck. This was, at least, according to Musk biographer Walter Isaacson.
Citing an excerpt from Isaacson’s upcoming book, Axios noted that Musk was so focused on self-driving robotaxis that it took the collective effort of Tesla executives to persuade him to pursue an affordable car as well. As noted by the publication, the CEO only relented when his aides revealed a plan to build both the $25,000 car and Tesla’s robotaxi side by side.
Tesla is aiming to reach 20 million vehicles per year in 2030. To achieve such a goal, the company would need a vehicle that it could build quickly at scale. This means that Tesla needs a car that would far exceed the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover in output. Tesla’s next-generation platform, which was discussed during Investor Day earlier this year, seems designed for this purpose.
As per Isaacson, Musk gathered his top five lieutenants for dinner in Austin for a brainstorming session in November 2021. The agenda for the day was a basic robotaxi that could be produced in high volumes. Musk and his team would reportedly end up debating for almost a year whether they should play it safe and build a car with traditional controls, or opt for a vehicle that’s all-in on autonomy, with no steering wheel or pedals.
Several Tesla engineers reportedly pushed for a more conservative approach. Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, during a meeting on August 18, 2022, even suggested that the robotaxi could be a vehicle with steering wheels and pedals that could be removed later. “If we go down a path of having no steering wheel, and FSD is not ready, we won’t be able to put them on the road,” the Chief Designer said.
Musk, however, was reportedly adamant. “No mirrors, no pedals, no steering wheel. This is me taking responsibility for this decision,” Musk reportedly said. The CEO also highlighted Tesla’s focus on autonomy. “Let me be clear. This vehicle must be designed as a clean robotaxi. We’re going to take that risk. It’s my fault if it f–ks up. But we are not going to design some sort of amphibian frog that’s a halfway car. We are all in on autonomy,” Musk said.
Musk would later relent, however, following a meeting in September 2022. During the meeting, von Holzhausen and several others presented data indicating that a small, “global car” would be needed for Tesla to achieve its ambitious growth targets. The team also convinced the CEO that both the $25,000 car and the robotaxi could be built on the same next-generation platform. Both vehicles could be produced using the same assembly lines as well.
Ultimately, Musk was reportedly convinced of the $25,000 car after von Holzhausen placed models of the $25,000 Tesla and the robotaxi side by side in Tesla’s Design Studio. Both vehicles were unlike other cars on the road today. As per Isaacson, both vehicles had a futuristic design that was inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck. Musk loved the vehicles.
“When one of these comes around a corner, people will think they are seeing something from the future,” Musk said.
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Tesla Cybercab sightings are broadening far and wide, well outside of downtown Austin, Texas, with autonomy in focus as the company plans to launch the all-electric, two-seater this evening in the Lone Star State.
Tesla is set to launch Cybercab to a small group of people this evening in a dedicated event in Austin, Texas. Public details on the event are relatively slim.
However, Tesla’s focus on Cybercab falls well outside of the downtown Austin area and is expanding well across the United States as things continue to move quickly with the company’s autonomous efforts in 2026. Today, various images of Cybercab fleets in interesting locations have started to circulate.
The most notable is a fleet of at least 20 Cybercabs at Miami International Airport in Florida. Spotted last night, the fleet is expansive and is indicative of a looming release of Cybercabs once regulatory boxes are checked off.
Tesla has already been operating the Robotaxi platform in Miami for several months, but this Cybercab fleet at the airport could be joining the ride-hailing platform as approvals arrive:
20+ Cybercabs spotted near Miami international airport. pic.twitter.com/ORLsw8yFhf
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 3, 2026
Another fleet of Cybercabs was spotted at the Devon, PA showroom just outside of Philadelphia. We have seen several Cybercab units testing around the Philadelphia Metro Area, which is interesting considering Tesla does not have any active Robotaxi geofence in Pennsylvania.
Cybercab at the Devon location in PA has multiplied over the weekend. Seeing a few more test vehicles in the lot 👀 pic.twitter.com/DhJT4P1EkU
— Billy (@billykyle) August 22, 2026
Philadelphia would be an ideal location to test ride-hailing due to its dense tourist population, large, sprawling city layout, and to compete with other ride-hailing companies that operate in the city.
Expansive fleets of Cybercabs will be popping up in and around major cities throughout the rest of the year, if we were betting on it. Tesla has made it obvious that the Cybercab rollout will be aggressive and fast-paced, but within reason. Tesla is still prioritizing safety, so these testing phases will likely go on for some period of time before more members of the public are able to snag a Cybercab for a personal chariot.
The Tesla Model Y L is arguably the most hyped trim of the all-electric crossover, other than the Performance configuration that comes with white-knuckle speed and sports car-level handling.
However, it is not all perfect. Tesla owners in China who took delivery of the Model Y L, denoted with an L to highlight its longer wheelbase, are experiencing what they are referring to as “collapsing” of the rear wheels, as suspension issues appear to be an issue with some of the builds.
🚨 Model Y L owners in China report rear suspension sag
• Six-seat long-wheelbase Y. Shanghai. On sale since August 2025
• Owners say the rear tire-to-arch gap shrinks after mileage or a full load. Some cases after about 9,000 km loaded. Others near 30,000 km
• Tesla service… pic.twitter.com/Lr6i5Tbi07— Joe Hansen (@joehansen) September 1, 2026
The gap between the wheel arch and tire has narrowed to the point that “not even a single finger” could fit, according to a report from Car News China. The failures are not tied to a specific mileage, as one owner said that after just 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles), they noticed the suspension issue when their car was fully loaded.
Another one had the issue at 30,000 kilometers (18,640 miles) and noticed that the wheel gap shrank to two fingers, so not as drastic as the person who reported a similar issue at 9,000 km.
Tesla Model Y L is gaining momentum in China’s premium segment
Along with the visual recognition of the issue, others are saying the sagging is causing abnormal wear on the inside of the tires. Extra weight and instant torque already provide additional stress on the tires in electric vehicles during normal operation, so it is no surprise that this is another complaint.
There has been no recall issued by Tesla, and the company has not yet publicly acknowledged the issue.
Some are suggesting that owners use a “finger test” to self-diagnose whether there is an issue with the suspension. There should be four fingers between the tire and the wheel well; anything less than that starts to get dicey.
Tesla is starting to truly tease and hype its groundbreaking Cybercab event, which takes place tomorrow in Austin, Texas. It will be the first time members of the public will be able to ride in a Cybercab, a vehicle without any manual controls, on public roads.
Tesla has been dropping some hype on X over the past several days, but this morning, the excitement has truly started to build up for the event. Although Cybercab has been unveiled before, this is truly Tesla’s announcement that it is ready to start offering autonomous rides for public passengers in its new ride-hailing-geared vehicle for the first time.
The hype has started with a variety of different social media posts that are a true indication that Tesla is preparing for something big. Teasing so much of the potential of Cybercab, including its ability to truly revolutionize how people hail rides for local travel, is what the big idea for the event entails. The time that many Tesla owners, fans, and investors have been waiting for is potentially here:
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 2, 2026
The event has remained slim on details. Even invitees are still awaiting true details about what the event will entail, where they’ll go, and what is in store for the evening. This is pretty typical for an event run by Tesla; they keep things under wraps for the most part until the very last minute.
However, there is no secret about what the real intention of Tesla is for this event: it is going to be a huge reveal party for a vehicle that has no steering wheel and no pedals. It is a truly massive step for the company moving forward.
No steering wheel, no pedals
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) September 2, 2026
Speculation persists as to whether this is going to be an event that simply announces that rides will begin with the Cybercab, or it will be something more substantial. Tesla has said in the past that they plan to sell the Cybercab to the general public in what could become a great way to earn passive income by adding it to a more global fleet of Robotaxi-geared vehicles.
Tomorrow, the show begins in Austin, and the Cybercab goes live at some capacity; we just don’t know exactly how quite yet.
Tesla Cybercab sightings broaden well outside of Austin with autonomy in focus
Tesla Model Y L gets suspension complaints in over odd issue China
