Shanghai Showtime: Tesla Brings Production Cybercab To China's Import Expo

SHANGHAI - Tesla is bringing the production Cybercab to China's biggest import fair. The gold two-seater will stand at the centre of Tesla's booth in Hall 3H at the 9th China International Import Expo, which runs from 5 to 10 November at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

A first look posted on Wednesday by Shanghai reporter @JayinShanghai shows the car with its butterfly doors raised and no steering wheel inside, with Optimus humanoid robots standing nearby and a robot dog in the foreground. The stand also holds a Model Y Performance, a V4 Supercharger, Solar and Powerwall, Megapack under a Mega Shanghai banner, a Giga Shanghai display, a Robovan-styled design boutique and, for the first time, a Model Y cutaway. Tesla's line for the booth: "Welcome to a world of amazing abundance."

The Cybercab is not new to the expo. It appeared at the 8th CIIE last year, but The Paper, the Shanghai news outlet, reports that this year's car is the production version, the same model already in service in the United States. The finish has changed from matte to gloss, and the car now carries a visible logo.

The Paper describes it as the world's first production vehicle built for driverless use. It seats two, with a 22-inch centre screen, butterfly doors and a hatchback boot. The bench seat sits level with a standard wheelchair, and braille markings appear on the doors and around the roof light. Ultra-high-strength steel reinforces the A and B pillars and the door rings, and estimated efficiency is 9.8 kilometres per kilowatt-hour.

Tesla's case for two seats rests on travel data. Citing the US Federal Highway Administration, the company notes that more than 85% of ride-hail trips carry two passengers or fewer.

The setting is bigger this year too. For the first time Tesla has its own zone in the Lingang New Area showcase, at the east end of Hall 3, according to EVX News, citing China Securities Journal and a Shangguan News preview on the official CIIE site. At 2,700 square metres, it is the largest single exhibit area at this year's expo. Organisers say Optimus robots will act out factory work, carry luggage and walk a dog.

The display is static. The Paper reports that Tesla has no plans for Cybercab sales in China, and no driverless ride-hailing operations linked to the showing. Before the expo, the car spent four days on view beneath the Oriental Pearl Tower, from 29 October to 1 November.

Shanghai is one stop in a crowded month for the car. Tesla's 12-city Europe tour opens at Autoshow Zürich on Thursday, the same day the expo doors open, and Tesla Korea will show a Cybercab at Starfield Anseong from 12 to 15 November as another car arrives in Melbourne.

For the crowds expected in Hall 3H this week, the gold car on the stand is the same one Americans can already find on the road.