Musk is increasingly betting the future of Tesla on Self-Driving Cars and robotics technology, including self-driving taxis and the humanoid robot Optimus. Tesla stated in a conference call: "While we continue to innovate in reducing manufacturing and operation costs, in the long term, we expect profits related to Hardware to accelerate alongside profits from AI, Software, and fleet Operation business." The company indicated that the new vehicle plans, which include more affordable models, are still expected to begin production in the first half of this year. This may come as a surprise to some investors, as reports last week suggested that the production timeline could be delayed by several months.