[Digital Today reporter Yoonseo Lee] As another year passes, more of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Tesla plans remain unrealised. 2025 was expected to be a year of large-scale expansion, autonomous driving and humanoid robots, but reality was different. On Dec. 30 (local time), electric vehicle outlet Electrek compiled five of Musk’s Tesla predictions for 2025 that missed the mark.

First, performance. 2024 was the first year in a decade that Tesla’s electric vehicle sales fell. Musk was confident Tesla would return to 20 to 30 percent growth in 2025, but the results were the opposite. Tesla’s annual sales fell year on year to 1.64 million vehicles, contrasting with 25 percent growth in the global electric vehicle market.

Second, robotaxis. Even robotaxis did not go as planned. In July, Musk said that by the end of 2025, half the U.S. population would be able to use robotaxis and 1 million robotaxis would be on the road. In reality, only 30 robotaxis are operating in Austin, Texas. Those robotaxis also cannot drive without safety personnel.

Third, a record demo. Last summer, Musk boasted on X, formerly Twitter, that he would unveil a record demo by the end of this year. Such hype happened before, and this time it also fizzled out. It followed the same course as the fully autonomous cross-country U.S. drive demonstration promised years ago that disappeared without a trace.

Fourth, the Semi truck. Tesla’s Semi truck was delayed again. Tesla set a 2025 production target, but it was confirmed only at year-end that it had been pushed back to early 2026. The vehicle was originally slated for release in 2019, but it has still not been mass-produced.

Finally, fifth, Optimus. The Optimus humanoid robot also fell far behind plan. Musk said thousands of Optimus robots would be working at Tesla factories by the end of 2025, but in reality only a few are in pilot operation. The robots can perform only simple tasks and do not operate without remote control.

This repeated issuing of “empty promises” is eroding market trust in Musk’s remarks. An ambitious vision for innovation is important, but if promises continue without delivery, it will only add to fatigue among investors and consumers. The coming 2026 is expected to be an important turning point in which Musk must prove Tesla’s technological leadership again with results rather than words.