Nearly nine years after it first appeared on stage, Tesla's second-generation Roadster has finally been shown in something close to production form. At an outdoor event near Waco, Texas, on Thursday, 15 October 2026 (early Friday morning in India), Elon Musk showed a redesigned two-seat electric hypercar that drove up an inverted ramp, flipped in mid-air and hopped over the rest of Tesla's line-up using SpaceX-built cold-gas thrusters.
The show was spectacular, but hard details were thin. Musk said production would begin in 2028, Tesla gave no price, and the most dramatic tricks belong to a trim Tesla says is not approved for public roads. Here is what was confirmed and what was only claimed.
What happened at the event
The reveal, held at a SpaceX test site after a 1 October date was called off for weather. According to The Verge, the stream lasted less than 30 minutes and felt "more like a stunt show than a product reveal."
First, the Roadster climbed a tall, curved ramp until it was upside down, held by a fan-based suction system that The Verge says can generate up to two Gs of force, then used its thrusters to flip and ease back to the ground.
In the second, the car lifted itself over a Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Semi and Cybercab while rotating in the air. Tesla engineering vice president Lars Moravy described the move as "a kick flip," and TechCrunch reported that the car hopped over all five vehicles while in motion.
Tesla also showed an acceleration run. TechCrunch said the car was shown going from 0 to 60 mph in about one second, while The Verge reported that the company claimed a time of 0.81 seconds. Neither figure has been independently tested.
Three versions: Performance, Thrust and Rocket
After the event, Tesla updated its website with three versions. Tesla describes Thrust and Rocket as "augments" built on top of the base car.
Performance ("road ready")
The base car seats two and uses active aerodynamics plus a "multi-mode suction system" for downforce. It has no thrusters. Tesla quotes 0-60 mph in under 1.6 seconds, according to The Verge and Electrek.
Thrust ("race ready")
This two-seater adds rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters. Tesla's own Roadster page says it can reach 60 mph in under one second, and The Verge and Electrek put the quoted figure at under 0.9 seconds. Tesla calls it a "limited release."
Rocket ("air ready")
The flagship seats one and has thrusters around the whole perimeter, which Tesla says support "forward and upward acceleration as well as lateral rotational movement." Tesla's page adds: "So yes, it can fly." It also carries a clear note: "Not approved for public road use." The Rocket is invite only, with a quoted 0-60 mph time under 0.59 seconds.
Across the range, TechCrunch reported 300 miles of range and speeds above 230 mph. Electrek says Tesla quotes range of "over 300 miles." These are company targets, not tested numbers.
How the thrusters work
According to Moravy, the car uses 10 thrusters fed by 600 litres of compressed air, and the air tank can be recharged. The Verge described two ultra-high-pressure tanks holding roughly 250 kilograms of air. Tesla said on X that "every usable void in the car" is packed with carbon fibre overwrapped pressure vessels, a type of tank that TechCrunch notes has been linked to several SpaceX rocket failures.
Tesla's website says the thrusters use all-electric actuators that make "micro adjustments within a fraction of a second" to keep the car stable in flight. The cabin uses steer-by-wire controls, including a yoke.
Price, reservations and the 2028 date
Tesla did not give a price for any version. What it did reopen is reservations. Its US reservation page asks for $5,000 upfront, described as fully refundable, and a further $45,000 within 10 days. That is the same $50,000 Tesla asked for in 2017. Engadget and TechCrunch report that reserving the Thrust version requires $250,000 in total.
For timing, Musk's answer was "2028, actually," as Electrek quoted him. No firm start-of-production date or delivery schedule has been published.
Confirmed facts vs Musk's claims
Confirmed by Tesla's website or seen on stream:
- Three versions, Performance, Thrust and Rocket, with Rocket invite only and not approved for public road use
- A two-seat layout (one seat in Rocket), steer-by-wire controls and suction-based downforce
- Reservations at $5,000 plus $45,000, with no vehicle price announced
- Live demonstrations of the inverted ramp climb and the jump over five Tesla vehicles
Claims that are not yet verified:
- Sub-one-second 0-60 mph times, including the 0.81-second run
- More than 300 miles of range and top speeds above 230 mph
- Musk's suggestion that the car could "crack halfway to the speed of sound"
- Musk's line on stage that "this will be the actual car that's on the roads." The Verge notes Tesla later acknowledged that the flying version would not be road legal
- A 2028 production start
A nine-year wait
The Roadster was first shown as a surprise at the end of the Tesla Semi event in November 2017. At that time Tesla promised 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, up to 620 miles of range, a starting price of $200,000 and deliveries in 2020. Buyers paid $50,000 deposits, and some paid $250,000 for one of 1,000 Founders Series cars.
Since then, Electrek counts at least six production delays and seven reveal dates, including April 2026, a date Musk joked gave him "deniability." After the event, YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who has criticised the delays, posted: "This is a prank, right?"
Meanwhile, Rimac, Porsche and Chinese makers such as BYD now sell very fast electric cars. The wider EV market has shifted too, as we covered in our look at the affordable EV wave arriving in 2026-27, and at the opposite end of the market in the Ferrari vs Lamborghini supercar rivalry.
Why it matters
Musk himself has played down the money side, saying he is "not sure it moves the needle massively from a revenue standpoint." The Roadster is a halo car, built to show off what Tesla and SpaceX can do together. The Verge notes that some analysts link the project to speculation about closer ties between the two companies, whose valuation story we examined in our piece on the SpaceX $2 trillion debate.
For buyers, the real test is still ahead: a final price, a production car that matches the demo, and how a flying car fits safety rules. Musk has said before that "if safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster."
Sources
- TechCrunch: Tesla reveals SpaceX-powered Roadster that flies and falls with style (15 October 2026)
- The Verge: The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60mph in under a second (16 October 2026)
- Electrek: Tesla unveils Cyberfied new Roadster that can kickflip (15 October 2026)
- Electrek: Tesla sets Roadster event for Thursday after nearly 9 years of delays (13 October 2026)
- Engadget: Tesla's redesigned Roadster has a cold-gas thruster option (October 2026)
- Tesla: Roadster
- Tesla: Reserve your Roadster
