Tesla’s robotaxi event draws mixed reaction in China where Elon Musk faces tough rivals
Tesla live-streamed the event across almost every major Chinese social media platform, where it quickly became a top trending topic
Chinese netizens and industry insiders closely followed Tesla’s much-anticipated “We, Robot” event on Thursday night US time, with mixed feedback given that China is already offering robotaxi services ahead of Elon Musk’s plans.
Tesla live-streamed the event across almost every major Chinese social media platform, including WeChat Channels, Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu, Weibo, and Bilibili. It quickly became a top trending topic on Weibo, often referred to as the Chinese version of X.
While many in China praised the technological vision and futurist design presented, critics were disappointed by the lack of concrete updates or immediate real-world applications.
The event took place at the Warner Bros studio lot in Burbank, California, where Tesla showcased a prototype of Cybercab, a two-door autonomous car – much like a hybrid of its Cybertruck and Model Y – with butterfly doors and no pedals or steering wheel. Tesla also unveiled the Robovan, designed to carry up to 20 passengers, and showed off its dancing humanoid robot Optimus.
“The autonomous future is here,” Musk said. “We have 50 fully autonomous cars here tonight. You’ll see model Ys and the Cybercab. All driverless.”
