An official reveal is just days away, but Slate Auto—a stealthy EV startup reportedly backed by Jeff Bezos—is already turning heads and raising eyebrows with one of the wildest marketing stunts in recent automotive memory. With its first vehicle set to be unveiled on April 24, the company has spent the past week dropping bizarrely camouflaged “prototypes” across the streets of Los Angeles, wrapped in parody business ads so surreal they’ve sparked viral curiosity across Reddit, TikTok, and the auto press.
It all started when gearheads and influencers spotted multiple strange vehicles parked casually in Venice, California. One appeared to be a stubby, boxy SUV wrapped in branding for a fake company called “CryShare,” which claims to soothe babies by driving them around on the roof. Another sported branding for a fictional feline therapy firm, complete with a web address: CatThurrrapy.com. That site, it turns out, is the key to the whole puzzle—once visited, it redirects to Slate Auto, teasing their upcoming April 24 announcement.
So what do we actually know about these vehicles? Visually, they appear to be a mix of design cues: think Range Rover Classic meets Jeep Renegade, with unmistakable off-road hints and compact proportions. At least three variants have been spotted so far—a two-door pickup truck and two SUV silhouettes with slightly different rooflines. None of them are functional; they’re likely design bucks—mock-ups without working powertrains or suspensions. But the intention is clear: create a spectacle, then drop the specs.
According to TechCrunch, Slate Auto has quietly been developing this project since 2022 as a spinout of Re:Build Manufacturing. The goal? Deliver a modular, two-seat electric pickup truck for just $25,000, with production targeted for late 2026. Unlike Tesla and Lucid, which launched with high-priced luxury models, Slate wants to flip the model: start cheap, scale up.
And it’s not just about affordability. As we reported, the company is embracing a “build-your-own” philosophy, offering upgrades over time—modular performance, tech, or lifestyle add-ons customers can install like a grown-up LEGO kit. The tagline? “We built it. You make it.”
On April 24, we’ll find out if the substance lives up to the show. But one thing’s already clear: Slate Auto knows how to make an entrance.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.
Missing out on the self-driving future is a tough pill to swallow, especially as a car enthusiast. But that is what Tesla handed us on Wednesday, without a hint of mercy.
During its October 21, 2026 earnings call, Elon Musk told investors the Cybercab is meant mainly as a ride service. Further, nearly all of them will be owned and managed by Tesla.