Tesla is set to "launch" its Cybercab robotaxi in Austin, Texas, in what could prove a defining moment for the company. The Cybercab is a small, two-seater vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals, relying on cameras and AI to drive itself, and its rollout is being framed by CEO Elon Musk and other executives as a pivotal test of whether Tesla can truly transform into an AI and robotics firm rather than remaining a conventional carmaker.

Ahead of the launch, Tesla positioned dozens of Cybercabs around Austin and other US cities, with 420 autonomous vehicles registered in Texas at the time of writing, according to the state's tracker. Musk and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy have adopted dramatic rhetoric, including Musk's claim that Tesla is about to "flood Austin" and an AI-generated image of Cybercabs amid a dust storm, marking a shift from the firm's previously cautious safety messaging. The event follows over a decade of unfulfilled promises about full autonomy, including a 2016 claim that all Teslas already had the necessary hardware, which Musk later admitted was incorrect, with millions of vehicles now requiring retrofits.