By Zainab Shafiq 
In what Elon Musk called a “historic milestone,” Tesla delivers itself to a customer, and it has already become more than just a futuristic idea; it happened in real time. On Friday, a brand-new Model Y SUV drove without any human onboard from Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin to a customer’s apartment building across town.
In a post on X, Tesla confirmed that the car navigated a 30-minute route, covering highways, city streets, and even parking lots, entirely driverless. A video released with the announcement showed the vehicle arriving curbside, where the new owner and Tesla staff awaited. Ironically, the SUV stopped in a red-painted no-parking fire lane, raising some legal eyebrows online.
Tesla did not clarify what version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software was used. According to the Model Y owner’s manual, the current FSD (Supervised) mode still requires drivers to be alert and ready to intervene, making this Tesla deliver itself more as a PR demo than a customer-ready reality.
Big Stunt as Tesla Delivers Itself to Customer, But Bigger Challenges
Musk hailed the feat as the “first fully autonomous delivery from factory to home,” praising Tesla’s AI and chip design teams. But the buzz arrives at a time when the company is struggling to maintain its lead in the electric vehicle (EV) market.
In Q1 2025, global deliveries fell 13% year-over-year to 336,681 units, marking Tesla’s worst showing in nearly three years. In California, its biggest U.S. stronghold, registrations dipped 15.1%. Europe painted an even bleaker picture: Tesla’s sales dropped for the fifth straight month in May, falling 28% compared to a year ago, despite overall EV growth in the region.
Chinese brands like BYD and SAIC’s MG are rapidly closing the gap, offering cheaper alternatives with growing dealer networks. In Germany, MG even outsold Tesla by more than 2-to-1 last month.
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