Tesla CEO Elon Musk Tries To Lower Expectations Of $30K Optimus Or Cybercab

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk on Thursday tempered down customer expectations of purchasing the company’s dedicated robotaxi offering – the Cybercab – and its humanoid robot called Optimus for about $30,000 each, saying it would be possible only on the “long-term.”

What Happened: Production needs to exceed a million a year before the company can sell the two products for about $30,000, Musk said.

“We need to reach >1M/year production volumes, but, long-term, yes,” he wrote in a post on X, without clarifying if he is hinting towards a collective production volume of a million or a million individually for both the products.

Tall Promises: During Tesla's annual shareholder meeting in June, Musk said that there will be at least one humanoid robot for every person in the world in the future, implying a total humanoid robot population of at least 10 billion or more, of which the EV company will have a significant share.

Musk then said that he expects to be able to sell Optimus at a price point below $30,000 once it reaches high-volume production.

In July, the CEO said that the EV company would have "genuinely useful" humanoid robots in low production for use within its factories next year. The company will "hopefully" increase production for other customers in 2026, he said.

As for the Cybercab, Tesla unveiled the car with no pedals or steering wheel in October. The vehicle, CEO Elon Musk then said, will enter production "before 2027" and be priced below $30,000.

History Of Underdelivering: Musk is known for providing price points that the company cannot deliver.

During the Cybertruck’s unveiling in November 2019, Musk presented tentative pricing for the stainless steel truck. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant was projected to begin at $49,900 but is now priced at $79,990 in the U.S.

The top-tier tri-motor all-wheel drive was projected to start at $69,900 but is now priced at a whopping $99,990.

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Photo courtesy: Tesla