Tesla has finally shown its long-delayed second-generation Roadster, almost nine years after it was first revealed in 2017. At a livestreamed event outside Waco, Texas, on October 15, the car drove up a curved ramp, flipped in the air, jumped over a row of other Tesla vehicles using air thrusters, and landed back on the road.
Elon Musk called it “the best of the last of the human-driven cars”. Tesla says production will start in 2028, and reservations are open now. Whether it truly “flies” is another matter, and experts are divided on what the demo shows.
Key facts
- Revealed: October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site near Waco, Texas
- Trims: Performance (“road ready”), Thrust (“race ready”) and Rocket (“air ready”, invite only)
- Reservation deposits: $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust, according to TechCrunch
- Claimed range: about 300 miles (roughly 480 km) on all trims
- Claimed top speed: above 230 mph (about 370 km/h)
- Claimed 0-60 mph (about 97 km/h): around one second on the thruster version
- Production: planned for 2028; no final price announced
What happened on stage
The demo had three parts, as described by TechCrunch and other outlets at the event. First, the car used powerful fans to create suction and drove up an inverted, curved ramp. Then it launched off the ramp, spun, and landed on the pavement. Finally, it used its thrusters to hop over a Cybercab, a Cybertruck, a Tesla Semi, a Model Y and a Model 3 parked side by side.
Tesla also showed the car going from zero to 60 mph (about 97 km/h) in about one second. For comparison, even the quickest production electric cars on sale take close to two seconds.
How the “flying” part works
The trick is compressed air, not wings or propellers. Tesla engineering vice-president Lars Moravy said the car’s 10 thrusters draw on 600 litres of compressed air that can be refilled. Tesla said “every usable void” in the car is filled with carbon-fibre-wrapped pressure tanks, the same kind of tanks SpaceX uses in its rockets. Musk said the car is a joint effort by engineers from Tesla and SpaceX, both companies he runs.
The three versions use this differently:
- Performance: a two-seater with active aerodynamics and the suction system, but no thrusters
- Thrust: a two-seater with rear cold-gas thrusters for faster acceleration
- Rocket: a single-seater with 10 thrusters around the car for the jumps and flips seen on stage
Is it really a flying car?
That depends on what you call flying. An aviation expert told CNN that what the car does is closer to hopping than to flight. Other reports noted that the airborne features are not approved for use on public roads. Musk himself said the car’s “success is not guaranteed” but that “it will probably work”.
Musk also said safety was “not the main goal” of the thruster version, adding that Tesla would “aspire not to kill anyone” in it. The Rocket version is invite-only, which suggests it is meant for private tracks and stunts rather than daily driving.
Nine years of waiting
The Roadster was first shown in November 2017, as a surprise at the end of Tesla’s Semi truck event. Tesla took $50,000 deposits back then and offered 1,000 “Founders Series” cars at $250,000. In 2018, Musk tweeted about a “SpaceX option package” with small rocket thrusters.
After that, the car kept slipping. Tesla put its mass-market Model 3 and Model Y, and later the Cybertruck, first. Promised dates passed in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. Late in 2025, Musk said the reveal would come by the end of that year, then moved it to April 1, 2026. A planned October 1 event was delayed by bad weather. Tech commentators, including YouTuber Marques Brownlee, publicly questioned the repeated delays.
Does it matter for Tesla’s business?
Probably not much in terms of sales, and Musk said as much. He said he is “not sure it moves the needle massively” on revenue. A car with a deposit of $50,000 or more is a halo product, meant to show off engineering and build excitement for the brand, much like the original Roadster did in 2008.
The bigger tests for Tesla are its mass-market cars, its Cybercab robotaxi plans and competition from Chinese electric carmakers. Tesla began selling cars in India in 2025, starting with the Model Y. It has not said whether the Roadster will be offered in India.
Musk’s other ventures also keep making news in India. Read about the Starlink India launch and the Musk vs Ambani debate. If you are weighing a more down-to-earth purchase, see our explainers on the Renault Duster Hybrid’s 29 km/l claim and the Kawasaki Z300.
What to watch next
- Final prices and detailed specifications for each trim
- Whether regulators allow any thruster features on public roads
- Whether Tesla meets its 2028 production target
- Delivery plans for buyers who paid deposits back in 2017
Questions to think about
- Should a car’s stunt features be allowed on public roads at all?
- Is a nine-year wait fair to people who paid deposits in 2017?
- Do “halo” cars like this help a company sell its everyday models?
Sources: TechCrunch, CNN, CBS News, NBC News and Fox Business reports on the October 15, 2026 event, and Tesla’s reservation page, as of October 17, 2026. Prices and specifications are Tesla’s claims and may change before production.
