Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said the company plans to begin producing its redesigned second-generation Roadster in 2028 at an October 15, 2026, presentation outside Waco, Texas. The event featured compressed-air thrusters and brief aerial maneuvers by the electric sports car, which was first unveiled in 2017 and has undergone repeated delays.
Tesla outlined three proposed versions: Performance, Thrust and Rocket. Musk did not announce purchase prices or a customer-delivery date. Tesla describes the aerial capabilities as exclusive to the single-seat Rocket version, which its website describes as “not approved for public road use.”
Demonstrations and performance claims
The presentation included a Roadster using fan-powered suction to climb a ramp and hold itself nearly upside down. Thrusters helped the vehicle rotate in the air and land on its wheels. Another demonstration showed a Roadster jumping over a row of Tesla vehicles and rolling in midair before landing.
In its video description of the acceleration demonstration, Tesla claims a zero-to-60-mph time of 0.81 seconds, or 0.67 seconds with rollout subtracted. Those are company-reported demonstration results; they do not establish the performance of customer vehicles.
Tesla associates the rear-thruster-assisted acceleration with the two-seat Thrust version. The aerial demonstrations involve the more extensively equipped Rocket configuration. The demonstrations do not establish that one vehicle combined every capability shown.
Musk described the demonstrated vehicle in broader terms, saying, “This will be the actual car that’s on the roads.” Tesla’s stated restriction on public-road use for Rocket leaves unresolved how that remark applies to the version equipped for aerial maneuvers.
Three versions with different equipment
Tesla describes Performance as “road ready,” Thrust as “race ready” and Rocket as “air ready.” These are the company’s descriptions of the proposed configurations and do not establish regulatory approval. Its proposed equipment and reservation arrangements differ by version.
| Version | Seats | Tesla’s proposed equipment | Reported reservation terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Two | Active aerodynamics and a multi-mode suction system | $50,000 reservation |
| Thrust | Two | Rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters, with claimed zero-to-60-mph acceleration below one second; described as a limited release | $250,000 reservation |
| Rocket | One | Ten cold-gas thrusters positioned around the vehicle for aerial maneuvers; described as not approved for public-road use | Invitation only |
The reservation amounts are separate from the undisclosed purchase prices. Tesla’s stated targets for all three versions include 300 miles of range and a top speed exceeding 230 mph. These remain manufacturer claims about planned vehicles.
Tesla engineering vice president Lars Moravy described ten thrusters connected to 600 liters of compressed air to lift and rotate the car. He said the air storage system could be recharged. Tesla also said it had filled the vehicle’s available internal spaces with carbon-fiber-overwrapped pressure vessels, or COPVs, to accommodate the compressed-air system.
Musk attributed the project to collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers. The concept extends an idea he outlined in 2018, when he proposed a SpaceX option package containing roughly ten small thrusters distributed around the Roadster. He said those thrusters could improve acceleration, braking, cornering and top speed, and potentially allow the car to become airborne.
The redesigned vehicle has more angular bodywork than the earlier prototype. Tesla said its styling drew inspiration from the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft and F-35 fighter jet, reflecting changes in its design approach since the earlier Roadster presentation.
A development schedule stretching back to 2017
Tesla first presented the second-generation Roadster at the end of its Semi unveiling in 2017, with deliveries initially expected within a few years. The car was intended as a successor to the company’s original electric sports car.
The earlier reservation program accepted $50,000 deposits, while some customers paid $250,000 to reserve one of 1,000 planned Founders Series vehicles. Those arrangements concerned the earlier offering and were not announced purchase prices for the redesigned versions.
The project remained in development as Tesla dealt with Model 3 production difficulties in 2018 and introduced other vehicles, including the Model Y and Cybertruck. Musk postponed the Roadster in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. Technology creator Marques Brownlee and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman have commented publicly on the delays.
The redesigned vehicle’s presentation also moved several times. In late 2025, Musk said on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he wanted to reveal it before the end of that year. A week later, he proposed April 1, 2026, at Tesla’s shareholder meeting. That date slipped, and a subsequent October 1 event was postponed because of severe weather.
The Roadster’s role and separate merger speculation
Musk has previously said he is “not sure it moves the needle massively from a revenue standpoint.” Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein characterizes the Roadster as a halo car intended to generate interest in Tesla rather than make a large direct revenue contribution. At the October presentation, Musk also described the Roadster as “long term, the only manually-driven car that Tesla makes.”
In earlier podcast remarks, Musk said “safety is not the main goal” for the Roadster and advised people whose foremost concern was safety against buying it. Those comments do not establish the vehicle’s actual safety performance.
The engineering collaboration comes amid separate speculation about a Tesla–SpaceX merger. In an October 14 client note, Barclays analysts led by Dan Levy said a merger announcement could come before Tesla’s 2026 annual shareholder meeting, which they expected to take place by December 6. They identified potential integration of the companies’ artificial intelligence technologies as a rationale.
The Barclays note preceded the Roadster presentation. Its suggested timetable concerns a possible announcement and shareholder consideration; it does not establish an agreed transaction or a completed merger in 2026.
