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Spotted in SF

Lolo_287 | 2026-01-10 21:36 | 520 views

Just spotted this around forest hill area in SF…. cybercab SF rollout soon 👀

Comments (71)
Fun_Muscle9399 2026-01-10 22:10

This thing is probably going to be a flop like the CT unless it’s really cheap. It’s hideous.

Matt_NZ 2026-01-10 22:11

I don't think it's really for the likes of you or I to buy

KnowledgeSafe3160 2026-01-10 22:12

It’s ugly as hell lol

HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET 2026-01-10 22:12

I think it looks great!

Fun_Muscle9399 2026-01-10 22:13

Maybe not in cyber cab form. I am expecting them to also call it a Model 2 or something and sell it as a car also.

Dolo12345 2026-01-10 22:17

I think it’s one of those in person looks better things

SMOKE2JJ 2026-01-10 22:26

What’s up with that license plate? Something special for self driving cars?

insideout_waffle 2026-01-10 22:26

Possibly further down the line, sure. Like in 2+ years or something.

Common-Violinist-305 2026-01-10 22:35

fugly fantasy

BRUCE_NORRIS 2026-01-10 22:39

Just a manufacture plate. Means the car belongs to the company and is likely for testing. Ran into a Rivian with one a couple months ago

RR50 2026-01-10 22:44

A cab that seats 2 is the dumbest idea ever

TryIsntGoodEnough 2026-01-10 22:45

"how can we take the VW beetle but make it really ugly"

ackermann 2026-01-10 22:48

Whether you love or hate the looks, from this photo, it doesn’t look much different from a Model Y in terms of styling? And the Model Y has sold very well…

wizardofkoz 2026-01-10 22:48

Why?

bareyb 2026-01-10 22:49

Saw one the other day and they are actually pretty cool looking in person. I’d definitely ride in one if I had the chance. 👍

SMOKE2JJ 2026-01-10 22:53

Ahhh. Yes I see the MFG now on the left side. Thx.

lazybandit94 2026-01-10 22:53

I literally just saw this one in Mill Valley an hour ago

lazybandit94 2026-01-10 22:53

It was so small, much smaller than I thought it would be. It looks like it was like half the size of a model 3

jonesaus1 2026-01-10 22:55

Because often your group is more than 2 people

thebestnames 2026-01-10 22:57

I will never understand why they chose that car format for a cab. FU if you have a family... Or if you are older and would prefer not having to sit on the ground. Why does it have to look like a cheap sports coupe? Its not like people enjoy the drive since they won't be driving?

Jielin41 2026-01-10 22:57

The funny part is ideas are easy and this is what they came up with and are attempting to execute: a two person cab….

thedrivingcat 2026-01-10 23:03

it's a little bit forward so I'm sure there's some perspective trickery going on but it looks very narrow compared to that 2018-era Lexus ES350 beside it

HamburglerParty 2026-01-10 23:04

90-97% of rideshares are two passengers or less… yeah real dumb.

mooslar 2026-01-10 23:06

Do you think they’ll not use model Ys for cabs too?

wizardofkoz 2026-01-10 23:06

Doesn’t happen very often and they could just send a model Y in that case.

SheSends 2026-01-10 23:09

I think they said the average number of people hailing a cab is 1.4 (I could only find exact numbers for NYC, San Fran just says 1-2). For everything over 2 people they have the model Y (and now even the "super cheap" model) already so why make a whole new platform?

Snakend 2026-01-10 23:15

These cars don't have steering wheels. There is no model 2 coming.

Fun_Muscle9399 2026-01-10 23:17

There have been multiple pictures taken of test vehicles with steering wheels. If it’s all drive/steer by wire, adding them is trivial.

AMCorBUST2021 2026-01-10 23:21

How is this even news at this point?

mulletstation 2026-01-10 23:22

Wait until you hear that 85% of uber rides are 1 person

RR50 2026-01-10 23:30

Great…but even so you’ve eliminated 15% of rides for what was likely very little cost difference.

mulletstation 2026-01-10 23:47

The cost in materials difference between a 2 seater and a 4 seater is likely proportional to the physical differences in their length and associated volumes and associated regulated parts from third parties like seats, belts, mounts, airbags, etc... that tesla isn't making. I would say at a high level just the manufacturing cost between the cab and a model Y might be a factor of 2

HerValet 2026-01-10 23:53

This car cannot easily be modified to be sold as private vehicules. Missing user inputs, lounge seats, no back window, no charging port, minimal performance, etc.

RR50 2026-01-11 00:28

No it’s not. The cost to go from a 2 seater to a 4 is marginal. Same drivetrain, same electrical and electronics system, same tires and wheels, most of the glass is the same… It might be 20% more to build a 4 seater than a 2 seater. Need any proof, look at regular cab and crew cab pickups.

DeathChill 2026-01-11 00:31

They already have the Model Y. Which they are actively using in their Robotaxi network. Of course they want to take this opportunity to create the cheapest vehicle possible. I imagine once these start hitting the Robotaxi network, the app will ask how many people are riding to determine what vehicle you get.

tsunamistrike 2026-01-11 00:32

I live in San Francisco and this was news to me.

BaxBaxPop 2026-01-11 00:42

The production version is a two-seater with no steering wheel or pedals. It's exclusively for autonomous taxi service. And yes, it will be really cheap. Think 1/4 to 1/5 of the cost of an Uber.

mclumber1 2026-01-11 01:03

But why not release a consumer version with a steering wheel and pedals in parallel to the cyber cab version?

yetiflask 2026-01-11 01:13

Can't see if it has a driver or not.

mulletstation 2026-01-11 01:14

It's not the same drivetrain. Cab is 2WD and the battery is under half the size of the Y. Look at the cost difference between Toyotas TNGA vehicles at different price points and body styles. At a 20% profit margin it suggests a 70%-100% difference in cost to manufacture.

Alex13445678 2026-01-11 01:16

Rolling trashcan

DameLasNalgas 2026-01-11 01:21

Tesla really rolling out ugly designs. Why not just design a zoox type of AV for taxi service? This cybercab design makes no sense.

drby224 2026-01-11 01:40

There are photos of other vehicles being driven by a driver.

xSwiftVengeancex 2026-01-11 01:40

It kinda makes sense. It's a two-seater car, with minimal storage space, and no need for manual control instruments. I imagine that saves you a lot of volume.

Mammoth_Ingenuity_82 2026-01-11 01:40

Because I choose my taxis on how beautiful they are. 🤷🏽‍♂️

drby224 2026-01-11 01:46

Why not develop a working FSD stack before designing a car around it? Use the MY or 3 as the platform to save on development. Tesla may find that FSD drives the design. For example, if new sensors or cameras are needed. Also, if FSD is delayed even longer — possibly additional years — they are stuck with an old design. They will miss out on future manufacturing efficiencies.

Master_Ad_3967 2026-01-11 01:50

With a Steering Wheel and Pedals. OK.

RR50 2026-01-11 01:52

Saying that a 2 and 4 seater could be.

Thekacz 2026-01-11 02:29

Supposedly this is for testing and crash testing only. Production units for the cybercab are not supposed to include the steering wheel.

Quin1617 2026-01-11 04:28

2 seaters don’t sell well. I’d definitely buy one but there’s not enough of us coupé fans to make it viable.

hal100_oh 2026-01-11 05:55

Theoretically a Model 3/Y should perform better because they have more data and clips for the training for it supposing they are all using the same hardware. That is one of the confusing things about it. Also 3/Y have more luggage space. I suppose ultra efficiency is good for money making, but then you have to pay off the billions for the factory line.

insideout_waffle 2026-01-11 06:45

Because ~~Elon~~ Tesla is trying to diversify since you can only get so disgustingly rich off selling cars. I guess.

EddiewithHeartofGold 2026-01-11 11:59

> Why not develop a working FSD stack before designing a car around it? All of these take time. It absolutely makes sense to manufacture the hardware if you have a timeline on the software. They obviously think they have a timeline on the software.

EddiewithHeartofGold 2026-01-11 12:00

They are new. So it's new(s).

EddiewithHeartofGold 2026-01-11 12:01

How do you figure?

Holiday-Living-3938 2026-01-11 13:51

I figured those were same wheelbase as the Y, but sounds like it isn’t?

SubprimeOptimus 2026-01-11 15:07

It’s a little fugly eh?

detroitsongbird 2026-01-11 16:01

My rear camera gets covered with road crap when there’s snow/ slush on the road in about 10 minutes of driving. At first I thought camera for mirrors was cool, but not now.

LilBrownBoyX 2026-01-11 17:08

Throw a rear window on there and a steering wheel, and I’ll be the first in line to buy it (if it’s under $39k).

GoSh4rks 2026-01-11 19:48

No charging port?

HerValet 2026-01-11 20:21

Nope. Only new induction charging (i.e. parking over a charging pad).

Available_Win5204 2026-01-11 21:42

The cheaper the rides are, the more people use it, and the more money the owner makes for the same priced ride. Pretty simple.

Available_Win5204 2026-01-11 21:42

No car on the planet will be manufactured as “efficiently” as this thing.

TheyCallMeKP 2026-01-12 13:34

I just saw one in Austin and there was a driver. And yes it was not an attractive vehicle

yetiflask 2026-01-12 14:13

Based on other pictures, it's clear they always have a driver.

Chitownman 2026-01-12 14:40

I just don't get it. I think it's probably more cost effective for Tesla to just mass produce base model 3s and model Ys (plus the rear screen and rear seat warmers) for their fleet. You can allow people to carry more cargo, maybe a car seat, just more flexibility. And that's probably what will happen is they'll have multiple cars in that fleet not just the cyber cab but still this doesn't do a lot for Tesla in my opinion. There's no way they're producing that at such a smaller cost than those other two models which they have parts for and they have perfected production at this point. Maybe I'm wrong

[deleted] 2026-01-12 17:40

God it looks like shit

apexmars 2026-01-14 05:00

Heck yeah!!

thunderslugging 2026-01-14 19:22

Nice. It's getting close!

Sandwich83 2026-01-14 23:36

Not to mention old people don't want to have to clamber into some tiny low to the ground coupe. This entire concept is stupid outside of a few city centers.

AP_in_Indy 2026-01-15 01:28

Is it really that much smaller in person? Looks maybe 4/5 the size of the sedans around it in this photo.

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