Musk Confirms Robotaxi Delay For Design Change

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk on Monday confirmed that the company would delay its robotaxi concept launch to integrate an “important” design change to the front of the vehicle and “show off a few other things”.

Musk earlier said the robotaxi, which has been in the works for several years, would be unveiled at an event on 8 August.

Bloomberg last week reported that the event would be delayed until October, a timeline Musk did not confirm.

In response to a post discussing the event by user on X, formerly Twitter, eMusk wrote, “Requested what I think is an important design change to the front, and extra time allows us to show off a few other things.”

Robotaxi focus

Reuters reported in April that Musk had cancelled long-held plans for an inexpensive car in favour of an emphasis on an autonomous taxi, which would be based on the small-car platform originally intended for the affordable vehicle.

Musk announced the August robotaxi event soon afterward.

The company has given few details about the planned vehicle, other than teasing an interior design with no driving wheel or control pedals.

Musk has said some of the vehicles would be owned and operated by Tesla, while others could be owned by individuals but rented out on Tesla’s network.

Automated taxis face numerous regulatory and technical obstacles to coming into service and achieving profits.

Baidu said in April it was shifting to a focus on revenues for its Apollo Go taxi service, which operates a fleet of about 500 vehicles in limited areas of Wuhan, China, and aims to be the first service of its kind to achieve profits.

Business plan shift

But even for this relatively established programme the goal of making a profit promises to be difficult as the company has to date charged a fraction of the price for standard ride-shares.

Many of Baidu’s vehicles continue to use safety drivers.

Tesla is fighting lawsuits that claim the company overstated the autonomous capabilities of its driver-assistance software in existing vehicles.

Tesla’s shares surged on Monday after Musk publicly endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential bid, on the expectation that regulatory barriers might be lowered under a Trump presidency.

Shares in Rivian and Lucid declined on Monday on expectations that Trump, if he wins, would repeal existing EV tax credits that benefit the two companies.

Expectations of a Trump victory in November rose over the weekend following an assassination attempt that caused no major harm to the former president, analysts said.