Missing out on the self-driving future is a tough pill to swallow, especially as a car enthusiast. But that is what Tesla handed us on Wednesday, without a hint of mercy.
During its October 21, 2026 earnings call, Elon Musk told investors the Cybercab is meant mainly as a ride service. Further, nearly all of them will be owned and managed by Tesla.
What did Tesla actually say about buying one?
The question on the call was rather simple: when can customers actually buy a Cybercab? Tesla vice president Lars Moravy answered first. He said Tesla is “trying to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of this year.” For now, every unit built in Texas goes into its own robotaxi fleet.
Doing what I do, I’ve covered enough Tesla announcements to hear “trying to” as “hoping to.” Then Musk settled it. He called the Cybercab “primarily” a transport-as-a-service product. In other words, Tesla doesn’t plan to sell it at scale as a privately owned car like the rest of its passenger fleet, including the Model 3, Model Y, and Roadster.
In his words, the “vast majority” of Cybercabs will be “essentially Tesla-owned.” Blunt, but at least he was honest.
So will anyone ever own a Cybercab?
Possibly. However, they’re just not the first in this line. Moravy said Tesla will start small this year, then, as it grows, will “mainly deliver fully designed autonomous vehicles to our [their] customers,” with the Cybercab leading the way.
The interesting bit for me, however, is that individual Cybercab owners might eventually be able to enroll their cars as robotaxis and dispatch them for paid rides within serviceable areas. Tesla is still working out the economics and fleet management.
Its AI lead, Ashok Elluswamy, added that customers’ cars could start joining the commercial fleet around the second quarter of 2027. That stings if you liked the idea of a robotaxi paying your car note, and I wouldn’t buy a Tesla today counting on that income.
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