Tesla Korea shows the Cybercab robotaxi for the first time but has no plans to sell it

Tesla Korea put the Cybercab, a self-driving car without a steering wheel or pedals, on display in South Korea for the first time on 12 November, at the Starfield Anseong shopping centre in Gyeonggi Province, Bloter reports. The company says it has no plans to sell the car in the country, and the display does not mean a driverless service is coming.

The car on show has a gross vehicle weight of 1,692 kg, seats up to two people and can carry up to 280 kg of passengers and luggage. In the US, Tesla started a limited robotaxi service with the Cybercab in parts of Austin, Texas, on 3 September.

Tesla Korea applied to the transport ministry on 22 October for a special technical exemption for supervised Full Self-Driving, and no decision has been made. According to figures submitted to the National Assembly, 53,477 of the 238,968 Teslas registered in South Korea at the end of September, or 22.4%, can use FSD, while many China-made Model 3 and Model Y cars cannot.

The ministry is weighing whether an exception for China-made Teslas would be unfair to other carmakers. FSD is a Level 2 system that needs a driver's supervision, while driverless operation of the Cybercab would need separate standards and permits.