Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company's anticipated Cybercab will scale up production next year, adding fuel to the robotaxi race that's currently captivating both the tech and automotive worlds.

Testing Now, Ramping Soon

The news emerged Tuesday when influencer Sawyer Merritt posted images on X showing Tesla's Cybercab being produced at a company facility. The images came from a new Tesla video highlighting the automaker's major milestones this year.

Musk quickly clarified what viewers were actually seeing. "Just testing the production system. Real production ramp starts in April," the billionaire wrote in response. In other words, what looks like production is really just Tesla putting its manufacturing process through the paces before the real show begins in April 2026.

Cybercab Sightings and Robotaxi Reality

The production timeline aligns with multiple Cybercab sightings around the country. The prototype has been spotted in Austin, and it's even been seen with a human driver behind the wheel in California. So much for fully autonomous right out of the gate.

Meanwhile, Musk claims he's been driven around autonomously in a Tesla Model Y robotaxi in Austin, which would represent progress toward his goal of launching driverless operations in the city by year-end. But here's the thing: as we hit the final day of 2025, Tesla still hasn't officially announced any rollout of driverless robotaxis in Austin. That silence raises questions about how scaled up these operations actually are, or whether the ambitious timeline was just a bit too ambitious.

Delivery Numbers Miss the Mark

On a related note, Tesla recently shared its delivery estimates for the fourth quarter of 2025, projecting 423,000 deliveries. That figure fell short of the market consensus of 445,000 deliveries for the quarter.

Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management went even lower, predicting just 415,000 deliveries for Tesla in Q4. He pointed to headwinds like policy changes as contributing factors to the decline. When even the bullish predictions are coming in below expectations, it suggests Tesla is navigating some choppy waters heading into the new year.

Price Action: According to market data, TSLA slipped 0.08% to $454.05 during after-hours trading.