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Tesla FSD Beta helps Sandy Munro change tune on self-driving
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta has won over automotive industry legend Sandy Munro, who had his first experience with the semi-autonomous characteristic earlier this week with notorious ownership club Tesla Owners Silicon Valley. Munro had one prior experience with Tesla’s self-driving programs, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. However, his first experience with FSD Beta quickly changed Munro’s tune, where he commended the program during a short drive through Northern California.
John of Tesla Owners Silicon Valley had the unique opportunity to show Munro, accompanied by colleague Cory Steuben, the improvements that Tesla had made with the Full Self-Driving suite. A long-time veteran of the industry, Munro has seen numerous driver assistance programs through the years, but none as complex as Tesla’s. The company’s FSD suite is packed with intricate coding to identify objects, a constantly-working Neural Network responsible for gathering information based on driver interaction and behavior, and an always-improving infrastructure thanks to the Neural Net and drivers who utilize the semi-autonomous functionality.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite has been around for several years, but its most significant development was the FSD Beta program’s release in October 2020. Elon Musk announced that a small group of Beta testers would have access to the capability and would hold the responsibility of testing the accuracy and maneuverability of Full Self-Driving in public driving situations.
Through the FSD Beta program, 11 builds have been released, building upon the previous version with more robust features and more accurate navigation without much intervention from the driver.
Luckily, John has been with the Beta program since day 1 and is a constant contributor to the information Tesla receives. Fortunately, this also meant that Sandy Munro was experiencing the most complex self-driving program on Eaarth, giving him a full-fledge sneak peek into what will be available across the board soon.
Tesla, teardowns, and treats: Sandy Munro talks 2,300-mile journey across the U.S.
While Elon Musk has not announced a specific date for the FSD suite’s full release, the Beta program has been expanded to 1,000 members. Musk is consistent with his predictions that a Level 5 autonomous vehicle will be released by Tesla by the end of the year.
He commented on this during the Q4 2020 Earnings Call:
“I guess I’m confident based on my understanding of the technical roadmap and the progress that we’re making between each beta iteration. Yes. As I’m saying, it’s not remarkable at all for the car to completely drive you from one location to another through a series of complex intersections. It’s now about just improving the corner case reliability and getting it to 99.9999% reliable with respect to an accident. Basically, we need to get it to better than human bio factor at least 100% or 200%. And the business is happening rapidly because we’ve got so much training data with all the cars in the field. And the software is improving dramatically. The — we also write the software for labeling…So I think there could be a whole line of business in and of itself. And then, of course, for training vast amounts video data and getting the reliability from 100% to 200% better than average human to 2,000% better than average human. So that will be very helpful in that regard.”
Check out Tesla Owners Silicon Valley‘s video of Sandy Munro experiencing the FSD Beta below.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Elon Musk has announced that the Tesla Model Y has become the world’s best-selling car by volume for the third consecutive year, capping 2025 with another dominant performance.
The Model Y has now established an impressive streak that would otherwise have been impossible before Tesla.
Three years in a row
Musk posted on X: “Tesla Model Y is now officially the world’s best-selling car for the third year in a row!” The CEO’s comment echoed an update that Tesla included in its 2025 recap, which highlighted, among other things, the Model Y’s incredible streak.
The Model Y has held the title since 2023, outperforming traditional leaders like the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla thanks to its bang-for-the-buck nature and its stellar combination of practicality, performance, and tech. The Model Y is also lauded as one of the safest vehicles on the road, making it an ideal choice for families in key markets such as China.
An impressive 2025
The Model Y’s sales feat in 2025 is especially impressive considering the introduction of the vehicle’s new variant. Tesla’s changeover to the new Model Y across its global factories resulted in sales being paused for some time in the first quarter. As per Tesla’s Q1 2025 vehicle delivery and production report, “the changeover of Model Y lines across all four of our factories led to the loss of several weeks of production in Q1.”
This suggests that the Model Y’s sales remained strong in 2025 to the point where it could still claim the title of the world’s best-selling vehicle by volume, even with its sales being throttled during the first quarter of the year. It would then be interesting to see just how far the Model Y can go in 2026, especially considering the rollout of new variants like the six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L, the affordable Model Y Standard, and the top-tier Model Y Performance.
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Tesla shares epic 2025 recap video, confirms start of Cybercab production
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development.
Tesla has released an epic year-in-review video for 2025, recapping some of its major achievements from refreshed models to autonomy breakthroughs and production ramps.
The cinematic montage, posted by the official Tesla account on X, celebrated the company’s progress in EVs, energy, and Robotaxi development while looking ahead to an even bigger 2026.
Tesla’s 2025 highlights recap
Tesla has had a busy 2025, as highlighted in the recap video. The video opened with Elon Musk explaining the company’s pursuit of sustainable abundance. A number of milestones were then highlighted, such as the rollout of FSD v14, Optimus’ numerous demos, the opening of the Tesla Diner in Hollywood, LA, the completion of the world’s first autonomous car delivery, and the launch of the Robotaxi network in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla also highlighted several of its accomplishments over the year. As per the company, the Model Y was the year’s best-selling vehicle globally again, and Teslas became more affordable than ever thanks to the Model 3 and Model Y Standard. Other key models were also rolled out, such as the refreshed Model S and X, as well as the new Model Y, the new Model Y Performance, and the six-seat, extended wheelbase Model Y L.
The Megablock was also unveiled during the year, and the Supercharger Network grew by 18%. Over 1 million Powerwalls were also installed during the year, and the Cybertruck became the first EV truck to get both an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award and an NHTSA 5-Star safety rating.
Cybercab production confirmed
Interestingly enough, Tesla also confirmed in its 2025 recap video that the production of the Cybercab has started. This bodes well for the vehicle, as it could result in the vehicle really being mass-produced in the first half of 2026. Elon Musk confirmed during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting that Cybercab production should earnestly start around April 2026.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab will be Tesla’s highest-volume vehicle yet, with the company aiming for an annual production rate of about 2 million units. “If you’ve seen the design of the Cybercab line, it doesn’t look like a normal car manufacturing line,” Musk said earlier this year. “It looks like a really high-speed consumer electronics line. In fact, the line will move so fast that actually people can’t even get close to it.”
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Tesla Cybercab is changing the look of Austin’s roads, and it’s not even in production yet
Videos and photos showed the sleek, two-seat autonomous vehicles navigating traffic.
Even before entering production, Tesla’s Cybercab is already transforming the appearance of Austin’s streets, with multiple prototypes spotted testing in downtown areas recently.
Videos and photos showed the sleek, two-seat autonomous vehicles navigating traffic. Interestingly enough, the vehicles were equipped with temporary steering wheels and human safety drivers.
Recent Cybercab sightings
Over the weekend, enthusiasts captured footage of two Cybercabs driving together in central Austin, their futuristic silhouettes standing out amid regular traffic. While the vehicles featured temporary steering wheels and side mirrors for now, they retained their futuristic, production-intent exterior design.
Industry watcher Sawyer Merritt shared one of the vehicles’ videos, noting the increasing frequency of the autonomous two-seater’s sightings.
Previewing the autonomous future
Sightings of the Cybercab have been ramping in several key areas across the United States in recent weeks. Sightings include units at Apple’s Visitor Center in California, the Fremont factory test track, and in Austin’s streets.
The increased activity suggests that Tesla is in overdrive, validating the autonomous two-seater ahead of its planned volume production. Elon Musk confirmed at the 2025 Shareholder Meeting that manufacturing begins around April 2026 with ambitious targets, and during an All-Hands meeting earlier this year, Musk hinted that ultimately, Tesla’s factories should be able to produce one Cybercab every 10 seconds.
Elon Musk: Tesla Model Y is world’s best-selling car for 3rd year in a row
Tesla shares epic 2025 recap video, confirms start of Cybercab production
