Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) chief executive Elon Musk said on Tuesday that the initial manufacturing phase for the company’s upcoming Cybercab robotaxi and Optimus humanoid robot will progress at a very slow pace before accelerating significantly over time.
Replying to a post on social media discussing Cybercab production, Musk cautioned that “for Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow.” He added, however, that output would “eventually end up being insanely fast” once the technologies and processes mature.
Musk has repeatedly highlighted autonomous driving and robotics as Tesla’s next major growth engines, raising expectations among investors who are now looking for tangible execution from the electric vehicle maker.
Tesla has previously said it remains on schedule to begin volume production of the Cybercab in 2026. The vehicle is designed as a fully autonomous, two-seat robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals. While Tesla has rolled out limited robotaxi-style operations over the past year, these have not involved the Cybercab model.
Optimus, meanwhile, is Tesla’s planned humanoid robot, which Musk has frequently described as having substantial long-term potential for the company.
Tesla’s strategic push into robotaxis and robotics comes at a time when its core vehicle business has faced several years of declining sales, intensified competition from rival automakers, and signs of consumer resistance in some markets linked to Musk’s increasingly prominent political involvement.