Tesla‘s Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk teased on Wednesday the arrival of a larger vehicle, after a user on X urged the company to launch a minivan.
On Tuesday, Musk wrote on X that “the Cybertruck rear bench has three sets of isofix attachments and is wide enough to fit three child seats or three adults.”
The company recently launched a more affordable trim of the pick-up model, which now begins at $69,990 — after an initially lower price of $59,990.
Replying to the post, X user ‘LeahLibresco’ said “MAKE A MINIVAN, ELON.”
A few hours later, the Tesla CEO said that “Something way cooler than a minivan is coming.”
The Chief Executive did not specify whether he was referring to a personal vehicle or a purpose-built one — such as the upcoming Robovan.
Shift to Autonomy
Tesla is increasingly shifting its focus towards autonomy — with the Cybercab model and Optimus V3 humanoid robot set to begin production soon.
Earlier this year, the company announced it would stop producing its flagship Model S and Model X, with its manufacturing lines transitioning to the production of the humanoid robot Optimus.
According to Musk, it’s “probably true” that people will forget Tesla ever built cars after the company launches the Optimus V3.
Furthermore, Tesla‘s management has been stating that the only (personal) vehicle lined up for debut is the second generation of its Roadster model.
Roadster
Last July, Tesla‘s VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said the company had “spent a lot of time in the last few years rethinking what we did, and why we did it, and what would make an awesome and exciting last best driver’s car.”
During the latest earnings call, Musk reaffirmed the idea portrayed by Moravy six months before.
“I really think long-term, the only vehicles that we’ll make will be autonomous vehicles, with the exception of the next generation Roadster,” he noted, “which we’re hoping to debut in April. It’s gonna be something out of this world.”
Earlier this month, Musk wrote on X that the “new Roadster unveil [will] probably [be] in late April.”
During Tesla‘s Annual Shareholder Meeting last November, the CEO said the company was “aiming for” the demo and unveiling event to take place on April 1.
Production is set to begin next year.
Cybercab
Tesla unveiled its first purpose-built autonomous vehicles — the Cybercab and the Robovan — in late 2024, at the ‘We, Robot’ event at Warner Brothers Studio in Los Angeles.
While the timeline for the Robovan — since then renamed to ‘Robus’ — remains unknown, Cybercab is nearing production, with the first vehicles already having rolled off the line ahead of schedule.
The company expects to begin full production of the model in April.
The Cybercab will be used for Tesla‘s Robotaxi service, which debuted last year in Austin — and has since been expanding across several other cities in the US.
While the Cybercab does not feature any pedals or a steering wheel, made purposefully for the rider experience, the company has produced a few units with these features, for testing purposes.
In August, Moravy acknowledged that there is a “Cybercab RC [remote controlled] fleet running around with a steering wheel.”
However, he clarified that it is “not for sale,” following speculation about the vehicles.
Robovan
The Robovan remains one of the most ambitious and least defined vehicles in Tesla‘s pipeline.
Designed to carry up to 20 occupants — 14 seated and six standing — or be fully reconfigured for goods transport, the reveal came as a surprise at the ‘We, Robot’ event in October 2024.
A prototype Robovan rolled up to the stage and 14 passengers stepped out.
Musk called it a solution to “high density” transport, pitching it for sports teams, airport shuttles, municipal transit, and last-mile cargo delivery.
“If you want to take a sports team somewhere or you’re looking to really get the cost of travel down to, I don’t know, five to 10 cents a mile, then you can use the Robovan,” he said.
The target operating cost of 5-10 cents per mile — compared to the Cybercab’s roughly 20 cents per mile — would make it one of the cheapest forms of transportation available, if Tesla can deliver on that promise.
Robovan to Robus
A year ago, Tesla filed two trademark applications with the USPTO for the name ‘Robus’ — one covering transportation and delivery services, including ridesharing and commercial leasing, and the other for a vehicle model name.
The rebrand was confirmed last September, when Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen sat inside the vehicle during a Bloomberg Hot Pursuit podcast episode and said plainly, “I’m in the Robus, yes.”
Accessibility has emerged as a key talking point for the model.
Last September, the Tesla Robotaxi app began showing an accessibility section with a Robovan icon, hinting at wheelchair-accessible ride options.
Musk confirmed the plans on X with a simple “Absolutely.”
Tesla reportedly intends to equip the vehicle with a deployable ramp for wheelchair users and a specially developed seatbelt system.
At the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting in November, Musk elaborated on the topic, saying that, “Obviously, we need a vehicle that’s big enough to fit a wheelchair accessible. So I think it’s the Robovan or Robus or whatever we call it.”
By then, the Chief Executive Officer also acknowledged the lack of details around the van, compared to other projects Tesla is currently focusing on.
“I mean, it’s not like we’re slowing down because we want to slow down. It’s like we’re spinning like a zillion plates here,” he said.
Model Y L
Earlier this week, new drone images shared by Joe Tegtmeyer on X showed what appears to be a Tesla Model Y L vehicle body shipped from GigaShanghai to the GigaTexas plant in Austin.
The Model Y L is a three-row version of its best-selling SUV, which launched in China last year and has since expanded to several markets across Asia.
The shipment of bodies to Texas could signal a shift in Tesla‘s plans, though the company has not commented on whether a US launch is forthcoming.
Despite its success, Tesla‘s CEO Elon Musk cast doubt on a US launch when asked about it in late August, saying it would not “start production in the US until the end of next year.”
“Might not ever, given the advent of self-driving in America,” he added.
Tesla also offers a seven-seat configuration of the standard Model Y in both the United States and Europe.
The Model Y L is a physically longer vehicle with an extended wheelbase, giving rear passengers meaningfully more legroom and a less cramped third row.
The seven-seat standard Model Y, by contrast, keeps the same body dimensions and simply squeezes a third row into the existing cargo space — functional for small children, but a tighter fit for adults.
