A few days ago, a report surfaced that cast doubt on Tesla's planned unveiling of the robotaxi, also known as the Cybercab, on August 8th. Despite the inquiries, both Tesla and Elon Musk have remained silent on the matter. Elon Musk now appears to have confirmed the delay, while acknowledging his request for modifications to the car.
This news follows a July 11 Bloomberg report that claimed Musk had requested a redesign of the robot taxi and the construction of additional prototypes. The report sparked a flurry of speculation, further fueled by a video posted by Warren Redlich, a Tesla enthusiast known for his inside scoop. Redlich's video, based on what he claims is inside information, suggests that Musk's design changes left engineers "speechless" in a positive sense, hinting at "next level engineering" for the car.
Although one wouldn't normally take such claims seriously, Elon Musk himself responded to the video. In his response, he admits that he requested "in my opinion an important change in the design of the front end" of the vehicle. He also mentioned that the extra time allows Tesla to "show some other things." Interestingly, Redlich's video maintains that the event was not necessarily delayed, suggesting that Musk urged the engineering team to expedite design changes.
With all this in mind, the unveiling of Tesla's robotaxi seems delayed. Elon Musk's indirect confirmation, coupled with the mention of design changes, suggests that the August 8 date is no longer valid. However, the exact new schedule remains unclear.