LOS ANGELES :For a businessman who perpetually struggles with broken promises, Elon Musk gave himself quite a to-do list Thursday night at Tesla’s long-awaited Hollywood unveiling of its driverless robotaxis.
After traversing the fake streets of the Warner Bros movie studio set in a sleek, silver two-door “Cybercab” prototype, Musk promised that the company’s popular Model 3 and Model Y vehicles would be able to operate without driver supervision in California and Texas by next year.
Musk said the company would start building the fully autonomous Cybercab by 2026 at a price of less than $30,000, and showed off a robovan capable of transporting 20 people around town – which he said would reshape cities by “turning parking lots into parks.”
Later came the dancing humanoid robots that also mixed drinks at the bar, which Musk said Tesla will also eventually sell for $20,000 to $30,000 a piece. “I think this will be the biggest product ever, of any kind,” he declared.
Thursday night’s electronic dance music-infused event had the signature trappings of Musk’s salesmanship, but some Tesla investors and experts said they were hoping for more concrete details on how the company plans to transform from an automaker into an autonomous driving and artificial intelligence titan with a solid business plan.
Tesla shares fell nearly 10 per cent in early trading on Friday. The stock, which has been pummeled in recent years by fears of cheaper EV rivals eating into Tesla’s market share, is up nearly 50 per cent since April when Musk announced the shift to robotaxis. Still, shares are down 8 per cent over the last year, compared with a 33 per cent increase in the broad-market S&P 500 index.
“His vision is lovely, but somebody has to actualize it,” said Ross Gerber, a Tesla shareholder and CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth