Paris, October 16,2026: Tesla has unveiled a redesigned version of its Roadster electric sports car featuring rocket-style thrusters developed in collaboration with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, with production targeted for 2028.
The white two-seater was demonstrated at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, where it performed a series of dramatic manoeuvres. The vehicle drove upside down on a ramp using a suction system, turned in mid-air and landed with the help of built-in thrusters. It later jumped over a truck and other vehicles.
The unveiling comes more than a decade after Tesla first presented a prototype of the second-generation Roadster. It also gives the company a high-performance showcase vehicle as Tesla increasingly focuses on autonomous driving technology and robotics.
Some observers interpreted the Tesla-SpaceX collaboration as a possible indication of Musk’s interest in bringing the two companies closer together, an idea he has explored publicly.
“It was an engineering flex with no commercial value beyond embarrassing traditional car makers,” Gene Munster, managing partner at Tesla investor Deepwater Asset Management, wrote on X.
“The Roadster event is the latest example of why Elon can’t wait to bring (Tesla) and (SpaceX) together,” he added.
Musk has previously downplayed the Roadster’s financial significance, describing it in 2023 as a “small potato situation” that would not substantially affect Tesla’s finances.
However, analysts say the vehicle could serve as a flagship model highlighting the company’s engineering capabilities.
“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,” Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein said in a note last month.
Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said the new Roadster could accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometres per hour) in less than one second and reach a top speed exceeding 230 mph (370 kph).
“Definitely much faster than that,” Musk said, adding that he believed the vehicle could approach half the speed of sound.
Tesla also claims the car can travel more than 300 miles (480 kilometres) on a single charge. That range is less than half the figure Musk promised in 2017, when the company first unveiled a prototype and initially projected deliveries for 2020.
The event featured dramatic music, smoke effects, mechanical sounds and a launch countdown. Musk told the audience that Tesla and SpaceX engineers had worked together to develop something unlike anything previously seen in a movie.
Tesla did not announce final prices at Thursday’s event. Nearly a decade ago, the company quoted a starting price of $200,000 for the vehicle.
Its reservation page subsequently listed a Performance version requiring a $50,000 deposit and a Thrust version, featuring “acceleration thrusters”, requiring a $250,000 deposit.
A third variant, called Rocket, was described as an invite-only, single-seat model featuring a “full flight system”.
The Roadster was not Tesla’s first electric vehicle to attract attention. The original model, launched in 2008 and sold until 2012, used a Lotus Elise chassis and helped change perceptions of electric cars.
Tesla later built its business around the Model Y and Model X sport utility vehicles and the Model S and Model 3 sedans.
The Roadster reveal comes as Tesla redirects resources towards artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and robotics.
The company has stopped selling the Model S and Model X to make room for production of its Optimus humanoid robots. It has also introduced the Cybercab, a two-seat robotaxi without conventional manual controls, including a steering wheel and pedals.
Tesla is scheduled to announce its third-quarter financial results on October 21.
Sales of its existing electric vehicle lineup have declined over the past two years, although high fuel prices helped boost deliveries during the third quarter.
“The margin and cash flow numbers will carry far more weight with investors than anything they saw at the reveal,” said Josh Gilbert, lead analyst for Asia-Pacific at trading platform eToro.
Despite the spectacle surrounding the new Roadster, investors are likely to focus on Tesla’s financial performance and its ability to turn ambitious technology projects into sustainable revenue.
