/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179212006879613666.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-17918776233262892.webp)
What is the story about?
Tesla Inc. unveiled its long-delayed Roadster sports car on Thursday at a SpaceX rocket testing facility in McGregor, near Waco, Texas. The event was livestreamed online. The company is hoping the flight demonstration will give its car business a lift.
Tesla stopped producing the model more than a decade ago. It first showed a next-generation version nearly nine years ago and now says production will start in 2028.
Roadster Takes Flight
Tesla did not stage a typical reveal. It made the Roadster fly, in a manner. The two-seat prototype is powered by air thrusters developed with SpaceX engineers. It drove up a ramp, did a controlled flip and descended to the ground.
Tesla also showed it driving upside down on a ramp using a suction system. It then used the thrusters to jump and flip over Tesla's vehicle lineup, including the Semi truck, and to turn in the air and land.
The use and legality of such features on public roads were not immediately clear. Tesla is unlikely to sell a flying version to the public because of cost, safety, regulation and practicality. The stunt still draws attention and supports Tesla's efforts to be seen as a boundary-pushing, tech-forward company.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla and SpaceX, had said the demo “might be one of the most spectacular demos ever.” On stage, he said, “We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI.”
He added, “You’re going to see the results of what happens when you have a collaboration with the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company.”
The car is designed to lean into aerospace aesthetics and has a Cybertruck-style steer-by-wire system. Musk said it can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in under one second and has a top speed of over 230 mph.
Tesla showed a video of the acceleration. Executives described the car as an ode to manual driving, even as the company focuses more on autonomy.
Reservation Tiers Revealed
Tesla's reservation page, as it appeared after the event, lists three versions:
A “Performance” version requiring a $50,000 deposit. A “Thrust” version with “acceleration thrusters” requiring a $250,000 deposit. An “invite only” “Rocket” variant, described as a single-seat model with a “full flight system”.
Musk and other executives did not give target prices at the event. Tesla quoted a base price of $200,000 nearly a decade ago. The company has suggested for years that the next Roadster could include a SpaceX option package.
Long Road Back
The original Roadster, launched in 2008, was Tesla's first product and its first electric vehicle (EV). It used a Lotus Elise chassis, was discontinued in 2012 and helped change the world's view of what an EV could be.
Tesla showed the new Roadster prototype in 2017 and said deliveries would begin in 2020. Musk said then that a four-seat Roadster would travel 620 miles (1,000 km) on a single charge. The car has faced numerous delays since.
When it goes on sale, the Roadster will join a slimmed-down consumer lineup of the Model 3, the Model Y and the slow-selling Cybertruck. Tesla also makes the commercial Semi truck. It is producing the Cybercab, a two-seat robotaxi without manual controls such as a steering wheel, pedals and mirrors, which is not yet for sale to outside customers.
This year, Tesla stopped selling the Model S and Model X to make space for production of its Optimus humanoid robots. The company has since been known for the Model Y and Model X SUVs and the Model S and Model 3 sedans.
The reveal comes as Tesla shifts from making cars for human drivers to AI-led self-driving technology and robotics. EV sales still account for most of its revenue and profit. Its auto business could use a boost after consecutive annual sales declines and criticism of a stagnant product lineup.
Needle Mover?
Musk played down the car's financial importance in 2023, calling it a “small potato situation” that would not “move the needle in a major way financially.” Andrew Rocco, a stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research, said before the event that the demonstration could generate enthusiasm.
However, he said a high price tag and small total addressable market mean the Roadster will likely do little to change Tesla's sales or earnings prospects. “It’s going to be an exciting product. Likely, it’s going to build a lot of hype, but I don’t think that it’s going to be a needle mover,” Rocco said. “Musk loves to build hype around the brand.”
Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein expects Tesla to sell around 2,000 Roadsters a year, a fraction of the 1.6 million vehicles it sold last year. He said last month, “Tesla does not currently have a halo car, or high-performance luxury vehicle designed to showcase an automaker's best engineering and technology. The Roadster will be Tesla's new halo car.”
Tesla stopped producing the model more than a decade ago. It first showed a next-generation version nearly nine years ago and now says production will start in 2028.
Roadster Takes Flight
Tesla did not stage a typical reveal. It made the Roadster fly, in a manner. The two-seat prototype is powered by air thrusters developed with SpaceX engineers. It drove up a ramp, did a controlled flip and descended to the ground.
Roadster
transforms in Track Mode
These aero features aren't just for looks: they provide the best passive downforce package of any road car (approaching F1 levels!) with wing actuation driven by the @Tesla_Optimus actuator system https://t.co/AqrC4qUga9
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 16, 2026
Tesla also showed it driving upside down on a ramp using a suction system. It then used the thrusters to jump and flip over Tesla's vehicle lineup, including the Semi truck, and to turn in the air and land.
The use and legality of such features on public roads were not immediately clear. Tesla is unlikely to sell a flying version to the public because of cost, safety, regulation and practicality. The stunt still draws attention and supports Tesla's efforts to be seen as a boundary-pushing, tech-forward company.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla and SpaceX, had said the demo “might be one of the most spectacular demos ever.” On stage, he said, “We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI.”
Real life, baby https://t.co/3QEqn18wig
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 16, 2026
He added, “You’re going to see the results of what happens when you have a collaboration with the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company.”
The car is designed to lean into aerospace aesthetics and has a Cybertruck-style steer-by-wire system. Musk said it can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in under one second and has a top speed of over 230 mph.
Tesla's new Roadster, shown from the front, has a low, angular body and a light bar across the nose.
Tesla showed a video of the acceleration. Executives described the car as an ode to manual driving, even as the company focuses more on autonomy.
Reservation Tiers Revealed
Tesla's reservation page, as it appeared after the event, lists three versions:
A “Performance” version requiring a $50,000 deposit. A “Thrust” version with “acceleration thrusters” requiring a $250,000 deposit. An “invite only” “Rocket” variant, described as a single-seat model with a “full flight system”.
Musk and other executives did not give target prices at the event. Tesla quoted a base price of $200,000 nearly a decade ago. The company has suggested for years that the next Roadster could include a SpaceX option package.
Long Road Back
The original Roadster, launched in 2008, was Tesla's first product and its first electric vehicle (EV). It used a Lotus Elise chassis, was discontinued in 2012 and helped change the world's view of what an EV could be.
Tesla showed the new Roadster prototype in 2017 and said deliveries would begin in 2020. Musk said then that a four-seat Roadster would travel 620 miles (1,000 km) on a single charge. The car has faced numerous delays since.
The rear of the Roadster, with four thruster nozzles above the exhaust-style outlets, a red light bar and a “ROSTR” number plate.
When it goes on sale, the Roadster will join a slimmed-down consumer lineup of the Model 3, the Model Y and the slow-selling Cybertruck. Tesla also makes the commercial Semi truck. It is producing the Cybercab, a two-seat robotaxi without manual controls such as a steering wheel, pedals and mirrors, which is not yet for sale to outside customers.
This year, Tesla stopped selling the Model S and Model X to make space for production of its Optimus humanoid robots. The company has since been known for the Model Y and Model X SUVs and the Model S and Model 3 sedans.
The reveal comes as Tesla shifts from making cars for human drivers to AI-led self-driving technology and robotics. EV sales still account for most of its revenue and profit. Its auto business could use a boost after consecutive annual sales declines and criticism of a stagnant product lineup.
Needle Mover?
Musk played down the car's financial importance in 2023, calling it a “small potato situation” that would not “move the needle in a major way financially.” Andrew Rocco, a stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research, said before the event that the demonstration could generate enthusiasm.
The Roadster's SpaceX-developed air thrusters firing from the rear and sides, with vapour billowing beneath the car.
However, he said a high price tag and small total addressable market mean the Roadster will likely do little to change Tesla's sales or earnings prospects. “It’s going to be an exciting product. Likely, it’s going to build a lot of hype, but I don’t think that it’s going to be a needle mover,” Rocco said. “Musk loves to build hype around the brand.”
Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein expects Tesla to sell around 2,000 Roadsters a year, a fraction of the 1.6 million vehicles it sold last year. He said last month, “Tesla does not currently have a halo car, or high-performance luxury vehicle designed to showcase an automaker's best engineering and technology. The Roadster will be Tesla's new halo car.”
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179203252344623051.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179204005571426106.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179185752260615666.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179194509828218679.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179197270410342416.webp)