A Waymo self-driving robotaxi caught a ton of attention on social media this weekend–but for the wrong reason.

The robotaxi in question was spotted in Tokyo, Waymo’s first offshore market for testing and data collection.

Waymo Pulled Over

As could be seen in the image, which was posted on X by user @YukkuriMasa1225, a Waymo robotaxi was seemingly pulled over by traffic police. The self-driving car could be seen stopped on the side of the road, while a traffic cop on a motorcycle seemed to be preparing a ticket for the robotaxi. 

The image caught a lot of attention on social media, garnering over 1 million impressions on X as of writing. Several comments poked fun at the idea of a robotaxi getting a ticket from the traffic police, while some joked that Waymo’s other vehicles could also be caught. That being said, there is a likely explanation behind the humorous ordeal.

Waymo’s Tokyo Rollout

Waymo’s robotaxi rollout in Tokyo started in April. While the vehicles are capable of driving autonomously, the robotaxis are still operated manually by drivers from Nihon Kotsu, one of Tokyo’s largest taxi companies. This means that the traffic stop that spread on social media was likely caused by a human driver’s actions, not Waymo’s self-driving system.

Waymo’s rollout in Japan is currently focused on the seven wards in central Tokyo, which are comprised of Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chuo, Shinagawa, and Koto. Data gathered by the Nihon Kotsu drivers are expected to be used to adapt Waymo’s self-driving system for the Japanese market. 

The potential of Waymo’s robotaxis is vast, particularly with regard to road safety. Over 56.7 million miles, compared to human drivers, Waymo Driver achieved a 92% reduction in pedestrian injury crashes, 82% fewer crashes with injuries with cyclists, and 82% fewer crashes with injuries with motorcyclists.

A look at the typical Tesla news cycle would show that the vast majority of the coverage surrounding the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) program is negative.

Recently, however, Tesla’s FSD program finally got some media recognition, and from a major network too. 

FSD Unsupervised Recognition

FOX News’ Lara Trump recently featured Giga Texas in her show, My View with Lara Trump. During her visit, she was able to speak with Tesla employees and see how Gigafactory Texas operates firsthand. She was also able to see just how legitimate Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Unsupervised system really is. 

This could be seen in a video of Trump’s visit, which included her reaction to the unmanned Model Ys driving from the end of their production lines. “These cars are going to drive themselves. Look at this, there it goes! Nobody’s in there. Wow, that’s amazing. That is so cool. Only Elon Musk could do this,” Trump stated.

FSD Unsupervised Rollout

While Tesla is already using FSD Unsupervised on Giga Texas and the Fremont Factory, the company is planning on rolling out a robotaxi service using the self-driving system this June in Austin, Texas. Recent reports have suggested that Tesla is aiming to release its robotaxi service early next month. Tesla’s AI Team also seems to be hinting at an early June robotaxi rollout as well.

While Tesla FSD Unsupervised is expected to be rolled out to the company’s robotaxis in June, CEO Elon Musk has stated that FSD Unsupervised will also be rolled out to customer cars this year. This was highlighted by the executive in the Q1 2025 earnings call. “I’m confident that it will be available in many cities in the US by the end of this year,” Musk said. 

Watch Lara Trump’s Giga Texas tour in the video below.

Tesla is offering those who are owners of the legacy Model Y an interesting promotion in an effort to get them into the newest version of the all-electric crossover.

The Model Y underwent an overhaul by Tesla over the past year, and earlier this year, the company finally started launching it in markets across the globe.

It was first launched in China, Europe, and North America.

Tesla’s focus on switching over production lines had cost it several weeks of production and deliveries in the first quarter, and now the company is playing catch-up to keep pace with its yearly delivery goal. It is offering several promotional discounts on vehicles within its lineup, but now Tesla is pulling out an additional stop with the new Model Y.

As a way to push legacy Model Y owners into the new vehicle, Tesla is offering a $2,000 discount to those drivers if they take delivery of the new build:

❗️Tesla Is Now Texting Owners Offering the $2,000
Model Y Loyalty Incentive…

Yup—if you’re a current or previous Model Y owner,

Tesla might be sending you a $2,000 loyalty offer toward a new Model Y (Juniper).

But here’s the thing…

• I bought a 2021 Model Y Performance… pic.twitter.com/lv0CzY6Afc

— DennisCW | wen ms refresh (@DennisCW_) May 1, 2025

The new Model Y offers substantial benefits over the older version, and the changes are not just different in terms of aesthetics:

The new Model Y vs. legacy Model Y

Which do you like more? pic.twitter.com/IvApdtFVN8

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 3, 2025

The new Model Y features acoustic-lined glass for a more peaceful cabin, refined suspension for a better ride, a sleeker design for better aerodynamics, and even smaller changes like quieter-closing doors.

With some concerns about demand, it still seems Tesla has plenty of buyers, but it would truly like to get more people in the new Model Y. Tesla came in under consensus estimates for deliveries this past quarter, but did spend several weeks switching over production lines at all of its factories.

Still, the automaker is moving toward a big year with the rollout of the Robotaxi ride-hailing service and affordable models coming soon.