Tesla releases driver assist tech update ahead of expected major announcement

Tesla releases driver assist tech update ahead of expected major announcement


Tesla announced a new version of its full self-driving supervised technology Tuesday morning, but investors are looking for something bigger.

Over the weekend, Elon Musk’s company shared a teaser clip featuring a logo-emblazoned, spinning component that could be anything from a wheel cover to a fan or turbine. The clip ended with the numbers “10/7,” indicating Tuesday’s date for the reveal.

Tesla posted a second clip to X on Sunday showing the outline of a vehicle’s headlights in the dark.

Shares climbed 5% Monday as the buzz grew online over what the announcement would be.

The big reveal could be the long-awaited lower-cost model, or the next-generation Roadster that Musk has promised for years.

Or something else.

The company hasn’t released a new model vehicle for sale since it began shipping the Cybertruck, its angular unpainted steel pickup, in late 2023.

Musk originally promoted the Cybertruck at an “unveiling” event in 2019, where his demo went awry and he shattered a window. The Cybertuck never achieved the level of popularity of Tesla’s Model 3 sedan or Model Y SUVs and has been the subject of at least eight voluntary recalls in the U.S.

With its auto sales in a multi-quarter slump, Tesla has been trying to shift investor attention to its future as a robotics and self-driving car business.

The slump has resulted, in part, from a consumer backlash against Musk, his endorsements of far-right political parties and figures, and his incendiary political rhetoric. But it’s also due to an aging lineup and increased competition from companies including Volkswagen and BYD.

In mid-October of last year, Tesla held its invitation-only, “We, Robot” event in Hollywood, where it showed off a low, two-seater Cybercab concept with no steering wheels or pedals. Musk said the driverless car would cost about $30,000.

As of the company’s second-quarter earnings call, it was not yet in production.

At an event in late 2017, Musk promised Tesla would make a next-generation Roadster, but the vehicle has never moved into production. In 2021, Musk promised the Roadster would be able to “fly,” and last year he said the elusive sports car was being redesigned in collaboration with SpaceX, his aerospace and defense contractor.

Musk has been promising to turn existing Tesla EVs into robotaxis with a software update for about a decade.

The company currently has human safety drivers in its Robotaxi-branded test and fleet vehicles, unlike robotaxi rivals like Alphabet’s Waymo and Baidu’s Apollo Go.

In the realm of humanoid robots, Musk has said Tesla’s Optimus robots will be capable of factory work or babysitting your kids, but they’ve yet to hit the market. Meanwhile, competitors like Agility Robotics and Unitree are already selling bipedal, humanoid robots.

Following a brutal first quarter that saw Tesla lose 36% of its value, the stock has been on a tear, jumping 40% in the third quarter. It’s now up 12% for the year. That stock price increase was aided by Musk, who purchased about $1 billion of Tesla stock himself in mid-September.

WATCH: Tesla teases new product launch

Tesla teases new product launch in social media post



Source

Cathie Wood says humanoid robots will be the ‘biggest of all’ AI opportunities
Technology

Cathie Wood says humanoid robots will be the ‘biggest of all’ AI opportunities

An Optimus bot from Tesla on display during the 2024 World AI Conference & High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center on July 7, 2024. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Ark Invest founder and Chief Executive Cathie Wood on Tuesday singled out the potential for artificial […]

Read More
Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood flags AI market correction risk: ‘We think there will be a reality check’
Technology

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood flags AI market correction risk: ‘We think there will be a reality check’

Cathie Wood, chief executive officer of Ark Investment Management LLC, during the Federal Reserve’s Payments Innovation Conference in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Aaron Schartz | Bloomberg | Getty Images ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood on Tuesday pushed back on fears of an artificial intelligence bubble, while flagging the possibility of a […]

Read More
CNBC Daily Open: Hopes of a U.S.-China deal spark a rally
Technology

CNBC Daily Open: Hopes of a U.S.-China deal spark a rally

U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping shake hands before their bilateral meeting during the G-20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan on June 29, 2019. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters The mere prospect of a U.S.-China trade deal is enough to send markets higher. On Monday stateside, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average […]

Read More