Tesla Electric Station
After electric cars, Tesla's next vehicle innovation might be for self-driving technology. Pictured: Tesla To Release Fourth Quarter Earnings PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 30: Tesla cars recharge at a Tesla Supercharger facility on January 30, 2019 in Petaluma, California. Tesla reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.93 per share that fell short of analyst expectations of $2.14 per share. Getty Images/Justin Sullivan

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the company will start producing fully operational self-driving cars by the end of 2019. However, their upcoming Tesla Model Y crossover SUV is about to be released this year. Here’s what we know about this development.

According to CNBC, Musk confirmed in a podcast, with ARK Invest’s Tasha Keeney and Cathie Wood, that Tesla now has the technology to produce true self-driving cars by the end of the year. As of now, Tesla’s self-driving system, Autopilot, has been popular for its elaborate features, but it also developed a bad reputation due to its record of high-profile accidents.

While talking about the potential of the Autopilot’s systems, Musk said, "I think we will be feature complete — full self-driving — this year, meaning the car will be able to find you in a parking lot, pick you up and take you all the way to your destination without an intervention, this year. I would say I am of certain of that. That is not a question mark."

In addition to Musk boasting about their innovation, the CEO also said that the car technology will not have any problems in the future.

Tesla is also currently working on the electric crossover SUV, Model Y. This upcoming SUV has been confirmed to have similar parts with the Model 3 electric sedan and is expected to compete with and likely win against America’s current top SUV, the Toyota Rav-4. The Model Y is also expected to be a budget car, making it a more affordable pick in the market.

Potentially, the upcoming Autopilot feature cars and the Model Y might make customers hold back as the release date windows of these two are close to the other. By March, Tesla plans to unveil the new Model Y SUV, but news of the potential next generation of self-driving cars might cause customers to think twice before buying a Tesla car as they weigh their options.

It has been reported that Model Y will start production by 2020. There is no news yet about which cars will receive the new Tesla Autopilot system.

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