Few car reveals have been promised for as long as the Tesla Roadster. On October 15, nine years after the first version was shown, Tesla finally unveiled a redesigned second-generation car at an event outside Waco, Texas. The show was loud, theatrical and full of bold claims. Here is what the new Tesla Roadster actually is, what was promised and what remains unanswered.
What Tesla showed on stage
According to TechCrunch’s report from the event, the car is stark white with a more angular design that Tesla said was inspired by the SR-71 spy plane and the F-35 fighter jet. The demonstration was unusual even by Tesla standards. Using high-powered fans and thrusters, the car was driven up an inverted ramp, spun around and landed back on the pavement.
The car also used its thrusters to lift itself over a line of other Tesla vehicles, including a Cybercab, a Cybertruck, a Semi, a Model Y and a Model 3. Tesla showed a zero-to-60 mph run in one second. Those figures were shown by the company on stage, and independent testing has not confirmed them.
Engineering vice president Lars Moravy explained that ten thrusters draw on 600 liters of compressed air, which can be recharged. He said every usable void in the car contains carbon-fiber overwrapped pressure vessels.
Three versions, three very different cars
Tesla described three trims. All were claimed to offer about 300 miles of range and speeds above 230 mph.
- Performance: billed as “road ready.” It seats two and has active aerodynamics and a multi-mode suction system.
- Thrust: billed as “race ready.” It seats two, adds rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters and is claimed to reach 60 mph in under a second.
- Rocket: billed as “air ready.” It seats one, carries ten cold-gas thrusters around the car and is described as invite only.
The names suggest a clear split. Performance looks like the version meant for ordinary roads, while Thrust and Rocket are aimed at track days and show events. How much of the thruster hardware can be used legally on public roads has not been explained.
Price, timing and a long wait
Elon Musk did not announce a price at the event. Tesla’s website is taking reservations, listed at $50,000 for the Performance trim and $250,000 for the Thrust trim, according to TechCrunch. Those figures are reservation amounts, not the final selling price.
Musk said Tesla will build the car in 2028. That is a long way off, and the history of this project calls for caution. The Roadster was first revealed in 2017 with delivery promised within a few years. Musk delayed it in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. This latest reveal was itself planned for October 1 and was pushed back by severe weather.
Musk called the car “the best of the last of the human-driven cars,” a line that fits Tesla’s wider focus on self-driving technology. He also said Tesla might try to jump the Snake River Canyon, which sounded more like showmanship than a plan.
How to read the claims
It helps to separate what was demonstrated from what was promised. The thruster stunts were shown live, but they were a staged demonstration of a show vehicle, not a car in production. The range, top speed and acceleration numbers are company claims for a vehicle that will not be built for two years.
Several important details are still missing: final pricing, battery size, charging speed, safety certification and how the thruster system would work in everyday driving. Until independent reviewers can test a real production car, buyers should treat the figures as targets.
There is also a business question. Tesla’s current sales rely mainly on the Model 3 and Model Y, and the company has been spending heavily on robotaxis and other projects. A low-volume sports car is more about brand image than revenue, and a reservation is only a deposit, not a guarantee of delivery.
The bottom line
The new Tesla Roadster is a spectacular concept with very large promises and a distant delivery date. It shows that Tesla still knows how to get attention, and the three trims hint at a car that could be both a road car and a track toy. But with a 2028 build date and a long record of delays, the sensible approach for fans is excitement mixed with patience. We will know much more when a production car, and a final price, finally arrive.
Details come from TechCrunch’s report of the October 15 event. The photo shows an earlier Roadster prototype and is not the redesigned car.
