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Tesla unveiled its long-delayed next-generation Roadster at a SpaceX test site in Texas, demonstrating a hover-capable prototype that hits 60 mph in under one second, with Musk now targeting 2028 production.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Tesla** revealed its next-generation Roadster on Thursday — nearly a decade after first accepting $50,000 deposits in 2017 — at a livestreamed event from SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site attended by Musk, design leader Franz von Holzhausen, and VP of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

A live demo showed a white prototype racing up a curved ramp, clinging to it upside down, vaulting off and hovering before landing; the two-seater hit 60 mph in under one second per Tesla's timer, a feat VP Moravy demonstrated for the audience.

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Tesla reveals next-generation Roadster after almost a decade of delays — SkimNews

By CNBC · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-10-16

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Tesla revealed its next-generation Roadster on Thursday — nearly a decade after first accepting $50,000 deposits in 2017 — at a livestreamed event from SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site attended by Musk, design leader Franz von Holzhausen, and VP of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy.
A live demo showed a white prototype racing up a curved ramp, clinging to it upside down, vaulting off and hovering before landing; the two-seater hit 60 mph in under one second per Tesla's timer, a feat VP Moravy demonstrated for the audience.
The Roadster prototype incorporates SpaceX-developed thrusters, carbon overlay pressure vessels, diffusers, and steer-by-wire, and notably omits Tesla's FSD system — Musk said it will be the last vehicle the company produces intended to be controlled by a human driver.
Musk targeted 2028 for production start but announced no price or other performance variants; Tesla recently reopened $50,000 reservations in the U.S., Canada, and China.
Tesla has missed every previously targeted delivery date since 2017, and the source notes the high-end, low-volume model is unlikely to have any material financial impact on the company.
Sam Altman publicly mocked the delays on X last year, posting screenshots of his reservation and eventual refund after 7.5 years; one Founder's Edition customer, Other World Computing CEO Lawrence O'Connor, gave Tesla what he called a $250,000 "interest-free loan" in November 2017.

Why it matters: Tesla's Roadster is explicitly unlikely to have material financial impact on the company — the source calls it a high-end, low-volume halo product with production now pushed to 2028. The $50,000 deposits from customers who have waited up to nine years remain symbolic rather than revenue-driving, and the hover-capable demo offers no pricing or near-term timeline clarity for investors watching ahead of Tesla's Q3 results.