Elon Musk said Monday that Tesla would take longer to launch its robotaxi so it could make a major design update to the front and “show off” other things
Musk did not specify when the automaker would host an event introducing its robotaxi. The event, which was initially scheduled to take place on August 8, was postponed until October, according to Bloomberg News last week.
Musk responded to a user post discussing the event on his X social media platform, stating, “Requested what I think is an important design change to the front, and the extra time allows us to show off a few other things.” This statement opens a new tab to a user post discussing the event.
On Friday, an individual knowledgeable about the situation disclosed that the robotaxi event was postponed without providing additional details.
Wall Street analysts and Tesla investors have observed that a delay in the robotaxi launch would not be unexpected, given the numerous engineering and regulatory obstacles that face the development of robotaxis and autonomous driving systems.
The day after Reuters reported on April 5 that Tesla had canceled its long-promised inexpensive car and would continue to develop self-driving robotaxis on the same small-vehicle platform, Musk had announced the August unveiling.
The robotaxi has been the subject of minimal information from the affluent CEO thus far. He has only stated that Tesla owns and operates particular vehicles while others are owned by individuals and rented out on Tesla’s network.
Tesla’s shares experienced a surge on Monday following Musk’s public endorsement of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election. This move raised expectations that a potential Trump administration could facilitate Tesla’s regulatory approvals for autonomous driving systems and robotaxis.
Musk had stated in 2022 that Tesla anticipates mass-producing a robotaxi without a steering column or pedal by 2024, despite having previously failed to meet his self-driving vehicle targets.
In the afternoon trading session, Tesla stock experienced a 5% increase.
