Tesla appears to be closing the door on the Cybertruck, the angular stainless-steel pickup that looked like a stealth bomber and reportedly drove like one that needed a cup of tea. Musk says the factory space is needed for Cybercabs, autonomous taxis with no driver at all. Nobody in the front seat, which means nobody to blame when one reverses into a bollard.
Here is the pitch, as best I can tell. You will stop owning a car. Instead, you will summon a small pod from your phone, sit in the back facing whichever direction the algorithm prefers, and be carried to work by a vehicle that has never once apologised for anything. The company collects your fare every trip, forever. You get a shrinking list of ways to get around and the privilege of staring at a screen while a robot takes the corner you used to take yourself.
Musk has been calling this the future for years, roughly since your first smartphone was new. Meanwhile, the driving licence in your wallet is quietly becoming a souvenir. Enjoy the steering wheel while it lasts. Somewhere, a robot is practising your commute. It cannot sing yet, but the karaoke is reportedly in beta.