Tesla Cybercab Prototype Spotted in New Zealand for Winter Testing, Accelerating Global Rollout

Tesla's Cybercab prototype vehicles recently appeared in New Zealand, reportedly undergoing winter cold-weather testing. Two gold-painted prototypes were spotted loaded onto open flatbed transporters heading toward Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Currently in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter season, New Zealand offers low temperatures and icy road conditions ideal for evaluating the vehicle’s performance in extreme cold—particularly the stability of its vision-based systems and hardware under adverse weather conditions. The Cybercab is central to Tesla’s global autonomous ride-hailing ambitions. Previous testing had been largely confined to public roads in the United States; its appearance in New Zealand marks an expansion of testing beyond North America. Concurrently, testing efforts in the U.S. are accelerating, including obstacle-detection trials using front bumper-mounted cameras. Recently, Tesla rolled out FSD (Full Self-Driving) version 14.3.3 to Australia and New Zealand. These two countries are the first outside North America—and following a limited release in China—to receive the supervised version of FSD. Although commercial operations have not yet launched locally, these testing activities suggest Oceania could become Tesla’s first international market for autonomous ride-hailing services. In the U.S., Cybercab production began at the end of April at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas. Over 100 units are already awaiting delivery inside the factory. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also recently published official specifications for the vehicle in its latest filing. Tesla is currently producing two variants simultaneously: a base model without a steering wheel, and an adapted version equipped with a steering wheel and pedals to comply with varying regulatory requirements across different countries and regions.