Musk said Tesla's focus shifted to software

BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tesla's most important product this year and next year is not cars, but software that supports autonomous driving and robotics.

Musk predicts that self-driving software will become Tesla's most important profit point.

Reuters reported on the 27th that some Tesla owners purchased a self-driving software package worth $12,000. 60,000 Tesla owners are testing the latest version of autopilot software.

On January 9, 2020, at the 98th Brussels Motor Show in Belgium, people experienced the Tesla Model 3 electric car. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Zheng Huansong)

Musk said self-driving cars and humanoid robots are more important than developing electric pickups or electric vehicles that cost $25,000 a unit.

Affected by the news that the electric pickup truck was postponed to next year, Tesla's stock price fell 10% on the 27th to $829.1 per share, the lowest in more than 3 months.

Musk said Tesla is not developing a low-priced electric car that costs $25,000 a unit.

It is worth noting that Tesla's self-driving technology uses camera and artificial intelligence technology, abandoning radar and laser sensors.

Reuters believes that even if its self-driving technology is successful, Tesla's fully autonomous electric vehicles will still face strict supervision from the US government before they are free to hit the road. After a number of collisions, U.S. auto safety regulators have launched an investigation into the safety of Tesla's driver assistance system.

Musk said that in addition to the autopilot system, Tesla engineers are also developing a humanoid robot called Optimus Prime, which is expected to be launched next year.

Optimus Prime may eventually address the global labor shortage, he said, "and it has the potential to outweigh the automotive business over time." (Bu Xiaoming)