Update, August 18, 2026: These December 2025 Austin cars still had steering wheels and drivers. Tesla later showed wheel-free Cybercab testing; Tesery also covered a 2025 recap that said production had started and a first Giga Texas unit. A prototype on South Lamar is not a sold, wheel-free taxi.
In late December 2025, people in Austin photographed two Cybercab prototypes driving together on South Lamar. Electrek reported the Reddit photos on December 30: the cars looked like the We, Robot two-seater — and they had steering wheels and human drivers. That is normal for a public-road mule. It is not Tesla launching the no-wheel robotaxi on city streets.
The original Tesery headline said the prototypes were “transforming Austin streets.” Two test cars in traffic do not transform a city. Tesla’s paid Robotaxi in Austin at year-end was still mostly Model Ys. Tesery’s later ~20-car count is the service scale.
Key facts
- Where / when: South Lamar, Austin, late December 2025 (weekend sightings; Electrek Dec. 30).
- What was seen: Two Cybercab-shaped prototypes running together, with temporary steering wheels and safety drivers.
- What Tesla’s product pitch still is: A two-seat robotaxi without a wheel or pedals, volume aimed at 2026 / Giga Texas.
- What this is not: Unsupervised Cybercab service, or proof the production car will keep a wheel.
Why the wheels were there
U.S. public-road testing usually needs a person who can take over. A mule with a bolt-in wheel is how you gather miles before a cabin with no controls is legal. Side mirrors on some mules are the same story: easier to stay street-legal while cameras are still the product plan. Electrek’s Fred Lambert wrote that a wheel-free Cybercab, if it ships, may stay a low-volume, geofenced Tesla program — and that a consumer-friendly wheel is not off the table. That is his read, not a Tesla 8-K.
A Santana Row showroom car is a different object: parked, refined trim, still not a taxi you hail. Do not mix floor metal, South Lamar mules, and the recap-video “production started” line into one event.
FAQ
Were these unsupervised?
No. Photos showed drivers and wheels.
Is this the Austin Robotaxi you book in the app?
Not as of that weekend. App rides were Model Y-based. Cybercab is the purpose-built body.
Did Tesla say the production car will keep a wheel?
Tesla’s We, Robot pitch was no wheel. These mules do not settle the production spec.
For owners: a Cybercab mule in Austin does not change FSD on your car.
Featured photo: interior of Tesla’s two-seat Cybercab (file photo of the cabin type; not the South Lamar mule). Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Related: Tesla recap said Cybercab production started · Santana Row Cybercab display · Production-intent Cybercab tests · Austin Robotaxi ~20 cars
