Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla has “ started production ” of its self-driving Cybercab – a long-promised project that the billionaire has billed as key to the company’s long-term turnaround.

Splashy promotional videos that Musk and Tesla shared Thursday on X showed the robotaxi, which doesn’t have a steering wheel or pedals, drive itself off the factory floor at the company’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.

“Purpose-built for autonomy,” Tesla captioned the video . “Cybercab in production now at Giga Texas.”

Cybercab has entered production. REUTERS

Another video posted by Tesla showed several Cybercabs “in formation” as they took an off-ramp on a highway.

Shares of Tesla were flat in Friday trading. The stock is down about 14% since the start of the year.

Musk has placed a major bet on transforming Tesla, which has struggled with sagging sales of its electric cars , into a broader tech firm focused on artificial intelligence and robotics.…