Munro Live has become a channel where car expert Sandy Munro can educate the public on the inner workings of vehicles. In his latest video, Munro doesn’t hold back and spits out truths about the US government’s approach towards improving the local auto industry and its chosen champions in the fight to dominate the global car market.
Munro drives home two main points in his video. First, American EV maker Tesla doesn’t get the recognition or credit it deserves, particularly regarding their technological advancements like its artificial intelligence development. Second, legacy OEMs such as General Motors and Ford don’t have the technology to beat Chinese automakers in the global car market, specifically when talking about autonomous driving technologies.
Munro’s Tesla AI Day Review
Munro seemed very impressed by the technology and progress Tesla revealed during its AI day event. In his video, he particularly focused on Tesla’s D1 chip, which was developed in-house.
“It defies the imagination. One chip, one chip that Tesla has developed in recent history here could take the place of pretty much any major computer that might’ve been hanging around in the early 2000’s. These advancements are things that will save lives. Lots of lives,” he said.
While Tesla AI Day seemed to be a success by Munro’s standards, the government’s reaction to Tesla incurred his ire. He noticed that the same week Tesla AI Day took place, both the NHTSA and US Congress started investigating the EV maker’s Autopilot system.
To put things in perspective, Munro spit out some facts about vehicle safety. He shared that 212,500 vehicles fires were responsible for 560 civilian deaths in 2018. Teslarati was able to confirm Munro’s numbers on vehicle fires with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
In 2018, a little over 17 million vehicles were sold in the United States, and EVs only made up 2% of total vehicle sales. A total of about 360,000 electric vehicles were sold in 2018, and 38% of that number was just the Tesla Model 3.
Over the years, Tesla vehicles and fires have been a mainstay in mainstream media (MSM). With regards to EV fires, Munro pointed out that gasoline burns easier than batteries and even invited people to try it out—although his video editors warned people against doing so at home. According to the NFPA, collisions were the main cause of vehicle fires that resulted in death.
Munro’s Rant
After spitting some facts about electric vehicle safety. Munro drove his point home. “I’ve driven almost every self-driving car or even autopilot car and it’s crap,” Munro said about the progress legacy OEMs have made with autonomous technology. He chided the government for continuously praising traditional automakers for their “participation” in self-driving development while continuously bashing Tesla for making actual progress in the field.
He also noted that Tesla was the only US car company that still made true, blue American vehicles that could trump the main competition in the global autonomous car market: China’s upcoming EV makers that are just as focused on tech as Tesla.
“The Chinese are creating [self-driving] systems right now that are equivalent or better than anything GM, VW, BMW, Daimler, Toyota, Honda, Kia, Ford, and anybody else that’s out there is gonna be making, and we’re crushing the only source of real American ingenuity? Are you kidding me?” Munro remarked.
Overall, Munro’s message was clear: veteran OEMs in the United States and the traditional auto sector in general are on track to be overtaken by fast-moving, upstart automakers in China that prioritize tech and innovation in their vehicles. Tesla is ahead of the pack right now, but if the company slows down due to continued resistance from the powers-that-be, then it would not be surprising if China’s champions like NIO and Xpeng become the golden standard for in-car tech and autonomous driving in the near future.
Watch Sandy Munro’s self-described “rant” in the video below.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) showed a record attach rate at delivery for new vehicles in the third quarter of 2026.
75 percent of new vehicle deliveries in North America included a subscription to FSD software, up from 55 percent in the prior quarter, a 20-percentage-point sequential gain in the company’s most mature market.
Tesla Q3 2026 Earnings results: in-line revenues, slight beat on EPS
Tesla shed light on the Q3 Shareholder Deck that 75 percent of new deliveries came with an FSD subscription:
“FSD (Supervised)⁴ attach rate continued to grow, reaching over 75% of new vehicle deliveries in North America – our most mature market – a nearly twenty percentage point sequential increase. We believe that FSD is driving demand in markets where it is available, and we continue to work with regulators to get it approved in other markets. “
The higher attach rate accompanied strong growth in the overall FSD consumer base, as active subscriptions rose to 1.75 million, a 67 percent year-over-year increase. For the first time, more than half of paid customers are on the monthly subscription, which is priced at $99 per month in the U.S.
People are buying FSD with a car attached, not the other way around
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2026
The transition to subscriptions has accelerated since Tesla discontinued the one-time purchase option in most markets earlier this year. The recurring model improves revenue visibility and margins compared with large upfront payments. With three-quarters of North American deliveries now including FSD, the software is now an evidently large contributor to Tesla’s economics and ancillary revenue.
Geographic expansion remains important for further gains. FSD is now available in nine countries in the EU, and more than 100,000 customers have driven over 160 million kilometers. Tesla is pursuing broader EU-wide approval, with a related vote expected in December. Similar progress in additional markets could support higher attach rates beyond North America.
These results came as Tesla had a strong quarterly delivery performance of 486,532 vehicles in the quarter, which came with its largest passenger-vehicle backlog in four years. Battery supply continued to limit volume, but the company has pointed to FSD as a clear difference-maker that is helping sustain demand. As supervised capabilities improve, the attach rate will likely continue to improve.
At face value, it is a key measure of how Tesla is converting sales into autonomy progress.
Update: 10/22 10:51a – Para 1 consumers changed to “customers” for accuracy.
Tesla Cybercab units finally got a definitive date for when they will be able to be purchased by customers, ending speculation regarding whether the fully autonomous vehicle would be available in the near term.
During Tesla’s third-quarter 2026 earnings call on October 21, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy said the company is aiming to begin delivering its purpose-built Cybercab robotaxi to customers before year-end.
🚨 In short, Cybercabs are slated to go to customers by end of the year. All units are going into Robotaxi fleet currently, per @larsmoravy
Cybercab will be “transport-as-a-service,” but vast majority of Cybercab will be “Tesla-owned,” @elonmusk says https://t.co/R8Qu8QWdmp
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 21, 2026
“We’re trying to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of this year, 2026,” Moravy said. He added that production is underway on the line at Gigafactory Texas, but “all of those are currently going to our own internal Robotaxi fleet.”
Moravy explained that as operations scale, Tesla will “mainly deliver fully designed autonomous vehicles to our customers,” with the Cybercab as the first such vehicle. Initial customer deliveries will start small while the company gains experience with delivery logistics, ownership models, fleet management, and operating autonomous vehicles outside its direct control.
CEO Elon Musk reinforced the limited nature of private sales, describing the Cybercab primarily as a “transport-as-a-service” offering rather than a personal ownership vehicle like the Model 3, Model Y, or upcoming Roadster. “The vast majority of the Cybercab stuff will be Tesla-owned and transport-as-a-service,” Musk said.
The Cybercab is a two-seater vehicle developed by Tesla without a steering wheel or pedals. It relies completely on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite and has been in production since February. Early units have been put in Tesla’s Robotaxi service as of early September, when the company launched rides to the public. Tesla previously indicated it would aim to sell Cybercabs for about $30,000.
Unsupervised Full Self-Driving is expected to ship to consumer cars during Q2 2027, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Head of AI, indicated during the call. Early buyers or fleet operators may receive vehicles whose autonomous operation remains geographically restricted due to lagging regulatory agencies. There are some hurdles that remain ahead of Cybercab deliveries.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) reported its earnings for the third quarter of 2026, marking a reasonable performance on the various financial metrics. Tesla still plans to hold a call that will field investor questions at 5:30 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. CT.
Here’s where Earnings came in:
- Total Revenues: $28.046 reported vs. $28.34B expected
- Non-GAAP EPS: $0.48 reported vs. $0.45 expected
- Operating Margin: 2.6 % reported vs. 2.5% expected
- Operating Income: $718M reported vs. $721M expected
- Free Cash Flow: $1.531B reported vs. ~-$4.51B expected
Tesla $TSLA Earnings Results:
Revenues: $28.046B
Non-GAAP EPS: $0.48
Operating Margin: 2.6%
Operating Income: $718M
FCF: $1.531B— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 21, 2026
Major Takeaways
Full Self-Driving (Supervised)
“FSD (Supervised)⁴ attach rate continued to grow, reaching over 75% of new vehicle deliveries in North America – our most mature market – a nearly twenty percentage point sequential increase. We believe that FSD is driving demand in markets where it is available, and we continue to work with regulators to get it approved in other markets.”
Tesla Semi
“We began volume production of Tesla Semi, our Class 8 heavy-duty truck. The top variant can go 500 miles at full 82,000 lbs gross combination weight while achieving an efficiency of 1.7 kWh/mile. That efficiency allows the Tesla Semi to use a third of the energy used by a comparable diesel truck to haul the same payload. In a transportation market where energy is one of the largest components of total cost per mile, this will provide a meaningful advantage to Tesla Semi operators.”
SI Compute
“We plan to reach 400 MW of SI training compute by the end of the year, supporting the development of both vehicle and humanoid robot autonomy software. Additionally, we continued construction for the Austin Fab, where we plan to start commissioning equipment in 2027.”
Robotaxi
“We began deployment of Cybercab into our Robotaxi fleet in Austin. We reached nearly two million cumulative unsupervised miles for our Robotaxi service as of the end of the quarter. Operating hours in Austin are now 6am to midnight, and we expect to reduce wait times via increased fleet supply and improvement of Robotaxi orchestration algorithms. Grok is available in Cybercab with access to Grok Bot and Connectors, which allows users to manage their inbox, calendars, files, chats and tasks – all hands free via voice command – making Cybercab a mode of transport, a productivity space and, with our entertainment options, a second living room.”
Interested in ordering a Tesla? Use my referral code for three free months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) here.
Tesla buyers are buying for Full Self-Driving and not for the car, data shows
Tesla Cybercab gets a for sale date at last
