Tesla Cybercab Makes Waves at SXSW as Production Nears in Austin

The streets of Austin, Texas, served as the backdrop for a revealing first look at the Tesla Cybercab during the South by Southwest festival. Reviewers Kyle, Logan, and Scott from Out of Spec Reviews shared their raw impressions of the vehicle, which Tesla suggests could enter production at its local Gigafactory as early as April 2026.

Designed strictly for autonomy, the Cybercab completely reimagines the passenger experience by removing the steering wheel and pedals. The interior prioritizes comfort with legroom that reviewers described as “absolutely stellar” and “insane,” noting that it could easily accommodate passengers up to 6’4″ tall. A massive, perfectly centred display serves as the cabin’s hub, and the lack of a traditional dashboard provides a level of openness unlike any other vehicle on the road.

The vehicle’s design emphasizes efficiency and durability for high-frequency ride-sharing. To keep maintenance simple, the cabin lacks traditional door pockets or cubbies, ensuring passengers don’t leave items behind. Outside, the car features a clean look that avoids the bulky sensors typical of other self-driving fleets, relying instead on Tesla’s camera-based Full Self-Driving suite.

While technical details like battery size and exact range remain under wraps, the pre-production model shown in Austin featured a valid VIN and was built just last month. Reviewers were impressed by the purpose-built design, with one stating, “This is going to be amazing,” and another adding, “I would love to ride in this.”

Cool Discoveries from the SXSW First Look

The cabin is so spacious that even a 6’1″ passenger could not touch the front wall with their heels while seated. One reviewer noted that the legroom is so vast that “you would have to be like what 6’5″ or something” to feel any restriction.

The car is engineered with a very soft, “squishy” suspension to ensure passengers stay comfortable regardless of road conditions. “You just want to not feel potholes, not feel bumps,” the reviewers explained while observing how the vehicle body flexes even with slight movement.

The butterfly doors open and close automatically, a feature that “power opens” to welcome passengers. Once inside, the doors can be latched through a digital button on the central screen, which also houses the window switches and two USB-C ports that were moved from the cup holders to stay cleaner.

Despite its compact two-seater footprint, the vehicle features an “extremely big” rear trunk. The storage area is narrow but long, and the reviewers remarked that “you could put so much stuff in there.”

While Tesla eventually envisions a fleet that uses wireless inductive charging, this specific model features a physical NACS charging port in the rear. One reviewer pointed out, “That’s your NACS inlet because it doesn’t have wireless charging all set up yet,” allowing it to use the existing Supercharger network as production ramps up.