Designing the future from first principles: von Holzhausen on the Tesla Cybercab

As autonomous mobility edges closer to commercial reality, most proposals have taken the form of pragmatic pods and retrofitted platforms. Shortly to hit the roads in 2026, Tesla’s Cybercab represents a different thesis. 

Designed from first principles as a fully autonomous vehicle, it rejects both legacy architecture and the purely functional aesthetic that has defined much of the sector. In conversation with Car Design News, senior design executive Franz von Holzhausen and Cybercab chief engineer Eric Earley outline how design, engineering and manufacturing were integrated to create a vehicle intended not only to lower cost per mile, but to make the future feel desirable and scalable.

Car Design News: Why Cybercab? Why take this particular approach to autonomy?

Franz von Holzhausen: Historically, as Tesla approached electric vehicles, we realised very early that the best version of something cannot be a conversion of something else. With Model S, we proved that designing, engineering and manufacturing a car specifically as an EV created a product far superior to adapting an existing internal combustion architecture and modifying it into a hybrid or electric vehicle. History has borne that out.

When we look at autonomy, we’re applying that same philosophy. Yes, all of our vehicles can operate autonomously, and we have cars in the field today that do so. But Cybercab is different. It’s designed from the ground up as a fully autonomous vehicle. There are no compromises, no constraints imposed by legacy architecture. That allows us to attack the mission directly and create what we believe is the best — and potentially lowest-cost — autonomous vehicle possible.

We deliberately avoided the “toaster oven” autonomous pod look. That kind of form is aerodynamically inefficient, heavier and, in our view, not elegant. Cybercab looks engaging and sculptural

If you examine ride-share data, roughly 90-95% of trips involve a single occupant. Yet most people are driving relatively large vehicles. If you’re going to enter a new space, you go after the largest segment. Cybercab is designed specifically to address that dominant use case.

By focusing on that, we can leverage economies of scale, intelligently engineer the vehicle around a single-occupant and ultimately deliver what we believe will be the lowest cost-per-mile product on the market. That benefits the consumer and enables scale. We can build millions of these vehicles and address the market quickly.

The broader ambition is democratisation of transportation — making mobility so affordable that almost anyone can access safe, reliable, stylish door-to-door transport for something approaching the cost of a bus fare. But instead of going stop to stop, you’re travelling directly from A to B, securely, comfortably and with access to advanced technology typically reserved for premium ride-share tiers.

Eric Earley: Franz and I have been working on this project for about three years. What’s interesting is that every single design decision carries dual intent: it supports autonomy and reduces cost per mile, while also improving customer experience.

A simple example is the decision to make it a two-seater rather than a four-seater. That immediately yielded aerodynamic benefits in plan view, which translated into substantial efficiency gains. At the same time, it opened up more compelling proportions and styling opportunities.

We deliberately avoided the “toaster oven” autonomous pod look. That kind of form is aerodynamically inefficient, heavier and, in our view, not elegant. Cybercab looks engaging and sculptural.

The doors are another example. A standard hinged door isn’t optimal for ingress and egress in a shared autonomous environment. So we designed powered doors that improve access. There’s also an operational advantage: many autonomous fleets today employ staff simply to close doors left open by passengers. By integrating powered closures and controlling the extremities of the vehicle, we eliminate that inefficiency. 

When we launched the Model S, EV technology felt new and, for many people, intimidating. Wrapping that technology in a beautifully designed, aspirational product made adoption easier

But beyond operations, there’s theatre. The door opens for you. That creates a premium, welcoming experience. Every design choice represents a synthesis between autonomy, styling, engineering and operational efficiency — all in service of a radically low cost per mile.

CDN: So emotion will play a role in selling the idea.

FvH: Elon often says: why can’t the future look like the future? Arriving somewhere in style changes the emotional reaction. We’ve all had ride-share experiences where the vehicle feels tired, dirty or worn — and you’d rather be dropped off around the corner. That psychological dimension matters.

If everything must be designed, why not make it beautiful? There’s a psychological reward in using something that feels thoughtful and aspirational. When we launched the Model S, EV technology felt new and, for many people, intimidating. Wrapping that technology in a beautifully designed, aspirational product made adoption easier. I believed then that if we could attract people to the product, the technology would follow.

Cybercab continues that philosophy. Autonomy can feel like a leap of faith. By creating something aesthetically compelling, comfortable and emotionally reassuring, we help people relax into that leap.

CDN: There’s no steering wheel, which is explicit in terms of surrendering control. How do you address that?

FvH: It’s less new than people think. When you board a plane, you don’t see the pilot. On trains and trams, there may not even be an operator in sight. We already trust autonomous systems.

The difference here is scale. In a smaller vehicle, you’re more aware of the absence of a driver. But consider the contrast between a human ride-share driver and an autonomous system. In the former, you’re trusting a single individual with unknown experience and ability. In the latter, you’re trusting millions of cumulative driving hours. Once people experience autonomy firsthand, they tend to relax. It becomes comparable to trusting air or rail travel.

CDN: There is a leveling of the playing field in that the hierarchy between personal mobility and mass transit is flattened.

EE: We’ve been obsessive about accessibility — financially, physically and geographically. This vehicle has the potential to dramatically increase mobility for people with physical challenges and for those in varied economic conditions.

The average person spends around 12 days a year driving. In California especially, many drivers are barely engaged with the act of driving. I think people are ready to relinquish that responsibility. What we’re offering is something that feels premium — like your favourite chair at home — but is ultra-low cost and highly available. That combination drives adoption.

Psychologically, excess mass reads as inefficiency. We’ve stripped that away. The result is a form that feels advanced and elegant

Many autonomous proposals today are purely functional pods. We believe form and function must coexist. Thanks to vertical integration, we can deliver something aspirational at lower cost than competitors. That only happens by questioning everything from first principles.

CDN: Can you explain the form language a little more?

FvH: Being unconstrained allowed us to pursue hyper-efficiency in form. The rear track is narrower than the front, creating a teardrop aerodynamic silhouette. It carries Tesla’s fastback coupe DNA, but with extremely clean surfaces.

Internally, we’ve pushed to remove excess drama. The language is modern, pure and intentional. One or two decisive lines of motion. The oversized rear wheel visually breaks the scale and gives the car stance and dynamism.

Psychologically, excess mass reads as inefficiency. We’ve stripped that away. The result is a form that feels advanced and elegant. At the same time, simplification in form supports simplification in manufacturing. Design, engineering and production worked in constant dialogue.

CDN: How did you tackle the interior, given you have a blank slate? 

FvH: Traditional ride-share experiences place you in the second row of a vehicle designed around a driver. We inverted that hierarchy. Without the need for a driver position, we could reconceptualise seating. The seats are closer to a lounge or love seat. Most people don’t sit upright and alert in transit — they relax. So we designed for that posture.

There’s generous legroom and a reclining seat. Even within a compact footprint, the interior feels premium — almost like a second-row Rolls-Royce experience, but at radically lower cost. A 24-inch screen anchors the cabin. You can transition seamlessly from watching Netflix at home to continuing your content in the car. Historically, premium comfort stopped at your front door. Now it continues through your journey.

It starts with Elon pushing boundaries and insisting that the future must feel like the future. You can’t do this with complacency or a purely status-quo mindset

CDN: And what will the Cybercab experience be like?

FvH: When you hail a Cybercab, it will arrive with your preset climate, your seat position, even your media preferences already configured. The experience is designed to feel effortless — almost magical. Like the first time someone drives an EV and asks, “Why isn’t every car like this?”, we believe autonomy will trigger a similar realisation.

Because we can produce at scale, availability will be high. Wait times will be minimal. You could book a vehicle for an afternoon, a day or longer without worrying about charging or range. The mundane aspects disappear. You focus only on where you’re going and how relaxed you’ll feel on arrival.

CDN: Scale is crucial and that comes with designing in manfacturing simplicity.

EE: The factory designed for Cybercab is, in my opinion, the most advanced automotive production line ever created. We set out to halve complexity compared with Model 3 and Model Y. That meant halving part count, reducing mass and eliminating unnecessary systems.

One breakthrough was removing the paint shop entirely. Exterior panels use colour-integrated reaction injection moulding. Traditionally, paint shops are the largest source of factory footprint, VOC emissions, energy consumption and cost. We eliminated all of that.

At the same time, we improved quality and durability. There’s no compromise in perceived premium. Inside, materials, lighting and ambience feel refined. The infotainment system surpasses what you’d expect in lower-cost vehicles. The challenge was reducing complexity without degrading experience. That balance defines the project.

CDN: There’s an almost Fordian sense of ambition here. 

FvH: To create something truly different, you need visionary leadership. It starts with Elon pushing boundaries and insisting that the future must feel like the future. You can’t do this with complacency or a purely status-quo mindset. It requires risk-taking and collective belief.

EE: His problem-solving algorithm influenced our engineering approach. When you challenge every requirement and seek synergy between design, aerodynamics and manufacturing, you uncover solutions that wouldn’t otherwise exist. The ultimate goal is synergy: something beautiful, functional and radically efficient.