Tesla unveils Cybercab just hours after Trump criticizes autonomous vehicles

This week, Tesla officially introduced its much-anticipated robotaxi to the public, unveiling their self-driving Cybercab for the first time to consumers. The debut came just hours after former President Donald Trump, who has been endorsed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, expressed skepticism about autonomous vehicles during a speech in Detroit, Michigan.

“Do you like autonomous?" Trump asked the crowd. "Does anybody like an autonomous vehicle? You know what that is, right? When you see a car driving, some people do, I don't know, a little concerning to me.”

Trump’s unease about self-driving cars is not new. In 2019, Axios reported that Trump declared self-driving cars would “never work.” He also reportedly told members of his Bedminster Golf Club in 2017 that he would never step inside one.

While his latest remarks did not single out Tesla, they emphasized his concern over Chinese-made autonomous vehicles.

“I will stop Chinese and other countries’ produced automobile and autonomous vehicles," Trump stated. "The autonomous vehicles, we're going to stop from operating on American roads.”

Meanwhile, Tesla continues to place a significant bet on the success of its self-driving technology after several delays on the car that Musk previously claimed in 2016 would be ready in 2018.

The recently revealed Cybercab models are still prototypes and must undergo regulatory scrutiny to prove their safety. Since the vehicles lack steering wheels and pedals, Tesla will need a waiver from the federal government to operate these fully autonomous cars—a process that could take months and is not guaranteed.

In his remarks during the robotaxi unveiling, Musk made ambitious promises about the future of self-driving technology. Musk said that the cars will transition from supervised full self-driving to fully autonomous, allowing passengers to “fall asleep and wake up at your destination.” Musk estimated that Tesla's robotaxis could be available to consumers by 2026, with a price point under $30,000.

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