Tesla has just unveiled the redesigned second-generation Roadster, equipped with SpaceX thrusters, which Musk called "the best representation of the last generation of human-driven cars."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk showcased the vehicle at an event near Waco, Texas. During the demonstration, the vehicle used a combination of high-power fans and thrusters to drive up an inverted ramp, rotate, and land smoothly on the road below. It also used thrusters to leap over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, Model Y, and Model 3 while in motion.
Musk stated that Tesla will finally begin mass production of this long-delayed model in 2028.
“This will be an actual car you can drive on the road,” Musk said about the vehicle. The video Tesla showed displayed a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 1 second. “It really just puffs itself up, and then, uh, can do those things whenever you want.”
Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy stated at the event that the Roadster uses 10 nozzles connected to 600 liters of compressed air to lift and rotate the vehicle in mid-air. He noted that this air tank can be recharged. Musk also mentioned at the event that Tesla might attempt to jump over the Snake River Canyon—a famous gap that Evel Knievel once tried to cross using a steam-powered rocket.
Musk has consistently positioned this car as one of Tesla’s true flagship models and has said that, from a revenue perspective, it “may not significantly boost performance.” However, he previously stated that “safety is not the primary goal” of the new Roadster.
“If you buy a Ferrari, safety isn’t the primary goal. I mean, if safety is your top priority, don’t buy the Roadster,” he said on a podcast earlier this year. Musk also stated that Tesla would “strive to ensure this car doesn’t kill anyone.”
“This is the result of close collaboration and immense effort by Tesla and SpaceX engineers, creating something you’ve never seen in any movie—better than any James Bond car,” Musk said at the event. “I’ve never seen anything like this. When I first brought this idea to the team, I was thinking, ‘Am I crazy?’”
Elon Musk previously stated that the vehicle would be "very different from the version previously shown" and promised that the demonstration would be "the most exciting product demonstration ever, regardless of whether it succeeds." Earlier plans reportedly included having the vehicle drive backward up a magnetized ramp and then levitate, but Musk later canceled this arrangement.
This event is nearly nine years to the day since Tesla first unveiled the second-generation Roadster, a modernized update of its first vehicle. In 2017, Tesla unexpectedly revealed the car at the end of its Tesla Semi presentation, promising that the upgraded Roadster would be delivered within a few years. Tesla allowed customers to place a $50,000 deposit to reserve the vehicle, with some even paying $250,000 to secure one of the 1,000 “Founders Series” editions.
Elon Musk first mentioned adding thrusters to this car in 2018. That year, he wrote on Twitter: "The SpaceX package for the new Tesla Roadster will include approximately ten small rocket thrusters, strategically distributed around the vehicle." He also wrote: "These rocket engines will significantly enhance acceleration, top speed, braking, and cornering performance. Perhaps they could even make the Tesla fly..."
However, the Roadster project was subsequently put on hold. Later that year, Tesla experienced what Musk later called the "production hell" of the Model 3 sedan. Since then, the company shifted focus to other projects, such as the Model Y SUV, which later became the best-selling vehicle globally, and the Cybertruck—which, by Tesla’s own standards, has not been commercially successful. During this time, Musk repeatedly delayed the new Roadster in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
As the release dates for Tesla and these new models have grown farther apart, Musk has begun revisiting the topic of the second-generation Roadster. At the end of last year, on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he expressed hope that the car would be released by the end of 2025. A week later, after securing a $1 trillion compensation package at the shareholder meeting, he pushed the release date to April 1, 2026. Musk said that an April Fools’ Day event would give him “some deniability” whenever Tesla delays again.
“For example, I could just say I was joking,” he said at the time. Tesla ultimately postponed the launch again. The company had originally planned to hold the event on October 1, but severe weather forced another delay.
These repeated delays have also prompted some well-known clients to speak out publicly.