Just days after Tesla announced the first Cybercab had been built at Giga Texas, multiple freshly built units have been spotted at the factory, and importantly, they had no steering wheels.
The sighting was captured by longtime factory observer and drone pilot Joe Tegtmeyer, shows what appear to be production-spec Cybercab units staged at the facility’s crash testing area.
According to Tegtmeyer, the vehicles feature “stickers on tires” and appear to be missing traditional driver controls, including a steering wheel and pedals. “These Cybercabs may be production versions being prepared for crash testing,” he noted.
First Cybercab Rolls Off the Line
Earlier this week, Tesla celebrated the first Cybercab rolling off the production line at Giga Texas. However, the first Cybercab was strangely hidden towards the back of the photo, with the employees mostly blocking the vehicle from view.
This led to speculation that the Cybercab was being built with a steering wheel and pedals, despite multiple confirmations from CEO Elon Musk that it will be built without traditional controls.
Now those claims have been squarely put to rest. In addition, side mirrors are also absent on these latest builds, another sign that these vehicles are built with a fully autonomous design in mind.
Built for Autonomy From the Ground Up
Unlike the Model 3 or Model Y, the two-seat Cybercab is engineered specifically for Tesla’s Robotaxi ambitions. Just two days ago Musk reaffirmed the vehicle will be available to purchase by everyday consumers before the end of 2026 at a price less than $30,000.
Tesla has also recently secured FCC approval for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) positioning technology, enabling precise alignment for wireless induction charging.
Volume production is expected to begin in April, putting Tesla roughly two months away from scaled manufacturing. If these newly spotted units are indeed validation builds, it means Tesla is deep into final crash testing and production-line verification.
