Let’s Speculate Wildly About Tesla’s Three Mysterious Vehicles

Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased three new vehicles during his presentation at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday — one more than he showed off during the Master Plan Part 3 event last year.

In a slide showing the company’s current lineup – Models S, X, 3, Y, Tesla Semi and Cybertruck – three armored vehicles were also included.

“Obviously, we have some new products that we are working on behind the scenes,” Musk he said. “I think they will be very special.”

And that was basically it. No other details were released. Of course, Musk was in a good mood, considering his shareholders just handed him a victory by re-approving his massive $50 billion compensation package. But even the world’s most hyperbolic CEO remained silent about what was to come.

So let’s speculate. One of these vehicles is likely the robotaxi, which Musk said will be properly unveiled on August 8. He even gave it a new name during a recent earnings call: “Cybercab.”

Which one do we think is the robotaxi? I assume it’s the one on the far right, closest to the Cybertruck. Musk will want to pair his two most futuristic vehicles like two peas in a pod.

But then again, perhaps the robotaxi is the most van-shaped vehicle left. If this is Tesla’s first purpose-built autonomous vehicle, one made for the ride-hailing network that Musk has described as a cross between Uber and Airbnb, wouldn’t they want something with a slightly higher capacity — something that can attract more passengers than a Model Y? Waymo’s first robotaxi was a Chrysler Pacifica minivan. It would be pretty hilarious if Tesla followed suit and introduced its own robot van.

During the presentation, a shareholder asked Musk if he would make a larger-volume electric van with enough space for 13 passengers. Musk laughed and said he would “add it to my list.”

Tesla has hinted at a van before. In your Master Plan Part Two, the company said it was developing “high passenger density urban transport” and also suggested that autonomous buses could be deployed. I happen to think both ideas are completely dead, given Musk’s opinion. notorious disdain for public transport. But in Master Plan Part 3, the company lists “buses” and “commercial/passenger vans” as “TBA.” So maybe he’s not dead?

So if the robotaxi is on the right and the boxy vehicle on the left is some kind of van, what is that vehicle in the upper left corner? Could it be the long-awaited updated Tesla Roadster? Or is it some kind of compact, more affordable “Model 2”?

The saga of the Model 2 – a name that Musk has never confirmed – has been a rollercoaster. Tesla bulls and investors have been trying to get it to exist for years, although Musk has never really fully agreed. Even as early as the Part Deux Master Plan (released in 2016), Musk said that a lower-cost and cheaper vehicle than the Model 3 “is unlikely to be necessary.”

Earlier this year, Musk was essentially bullied by investors into recommitting to the Model 2, promising lower-cost models in the coming years. But the man is clearly tired of running a car company.

For him, AI and robots are the future. During yesterday’s presentation, he spent several minutes enthusiastically discussing Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots — while barely paying lip service to the company’s actual vehicular products. In his opinion, Tesla’s future will not be walking on four wheels, but rather walking on two legs.