The first Cybercab has officially rolled off the production line at Giga Texas, and according to CEO Elon Musk, customer deliveries of the fully autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals will take place this year, and at a price below $30,000.
The confirmation directly addresses a high-profile wager made by tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), who expressed doubts during the vehicle’s 2024 unveiling. At the time, Musk stated, “You will be able to buy one,” adding that Tesla expected “the cost to be below $30,000.”
Brownlee was skeptical of both the aggressive timeline and the ambitious pricing, saying: “I mean, this is notorious Elon stuff. He gets on stage, he says ‘we’re gonna have this vehicle out for $30,000 before 2027,’” adding, “No, they’re not, There’s just no way that they’re actually going to be able to do that.” He even promised, “let’s say they do, I will shave my head on camera.”
When reminded this week on X that the bet required both a customer delivery and a $30,000 price tag before 2027, Musk responded simply: “Yes.” In a separate reply about whether it would happen, he added, “gonna happen.”
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2026
Because the Cybercab lacks traditional driver controls, its rollout will depend heavily on regulatory approval. Initial deployments are expected in Austin, where Tesla has already begun operating an unmanned robotaxi service using Model Y.
Tesla is debuting its new “unboxed” manufacturing method on the Cybercab production line, a process aimed at dramatically reducing complexity and assembly time. The company has previously stated it intends to reach a production pace of one vehicle every 10 seconds, with ambitions to eventually halve that time as production ramps.
However, Musk has cautioned that early ramp-up could be slow, noting in January that “for Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow.”
