Tesla Cybercab robotaxis in an official image shared by the company on Weibo. Credit: Tesla
- Cybercab will debut in Beijing and Shanghai on September 17, with displays running through September 27 in Beijing and September 21 in Shanghai.
- The events are static displays only and do not involve sales or commercial operations of the robotaxi in China.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) will begin displaying Cybercab in Beijing and Shanghai this week, setting dates for the China debut of its driverless taxi without a steering wheel or pedals.
The Beijing display will run from September 17 to 27 at the Huamao Tesla experience store, the company announced on Monday. The Shanghai display will run from September 17 to 21 in the north hall on level LG1 of HKRI Taikoo Hui.
The announcement details Tesla’s previously disclosed exhibition plans for China. The company said in early September that Cybercab would go on display in Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities starting in mid-September.
The events are static displays only. They will give the Chinese public a close-up look at Cybercab, but do not mark a sales launch or the start of commercial robotaxi operations in the country.
Cybercab has a 2-seat layout and eliminates the steering wheel, pedals and conventional rearview mirrors, relying on Tesla’s driverless software to control the vehicle.
Tesla announced on September 3 that Cybercab had entered service in Austin, Texas, advancing its driverless ride-hailing business to purpose-built vehicles.
However, its initial operating fleet remains limited. Tesla had registered 45 Cybercabs for its local robotaxi fleet as of August 31, according to Texas Department of Motor Vehicles data. The vehicles had previously been used mainly for employee rides.
Cybercab first appeared as a concept at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event in October 2024. The first production vehicle rolled off the line at Gigafactory Texas in February 2026, with volume production beginning in April.
The vehicle uses an “Unboxed” manufacturing process, in which subassemblies are produced in parallel before final assembly to improve efficiency and lower manufacturing costs.
Cybercab’s China debut comes as Tesla’s local vehicle sales remain under pressure, prompting the company to broaden its lineup to attract buyers.
Tesla launched the all-wheel-drive Performance version of the updated Model Y in China on September 11, bringing the number of variants available locally to 5.
Tesla’s retail sales in China fell 12.43% year-on-year to 50,047 vehicles in August, marking the third consecutive month of decline, according to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data compiled by CnEVPost.
Tesla Monthly Retail Sales in China 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
39,881
33,703
18,485
February
30,141
26,777
38,206
March
62,398
74,127
56,107
April
31,421
28,731
25,956
May
55,215
38,588
47,281
June
59,261
61,484
52,920
July
46,227
40,617
27,249
August
63,456
57,152
50,047
September
72,200
71,525
October
40,485
26,006
November
73,490
73,145
December
82,927
93,843
Tesla monthly retail sales in China
2024
2025
2026
Model Y deliveries in China totaled 29,260, down 25.76% year-on-year, with the decline deepening for a third consecutive month.
