Tesla Roadster

21:01 As of Nov 9, 2026, no second-generation Tesla Roadster has been delivered to a customer. Tesla showed a new version at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, on Oct 15, 2026, and when Franz von Holzhausen asked on stage when customers would get it, Musk answered: "we enter production in 2028." Tesla's own Q3 2026 update, published six days later, still lists the Roadster as "Design development" with production capacity to be determined. Musk first announced the car on Nov 16, 2017, at the Tesla Semi event in Los Angeles, and said then that it would be available in 2020.

Status: Late. Last checked: Nov 9, 2026.

Quick facts

The 2017 announcement

29:29 The Roadster was the surprise at the end of the Tesla Semi & Roadster Unveil: the car rolled out of the back of a Semi trailer, and Musk said it would be the fastest production car ever made. He gave the base model's numbers as targets the prototype was already reaching: 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, 0 to 100 mph in 4.2 seconds, a quarter mile in 8.9 seconds and a top speed "above 250 mph." He promised a 200 kWh battery pack and 620 miles of range, four seats, a removable roof and three motors, and closed by saying it was expected to be available in 2020.

The price came with the reservations: a $200,000 base price, a $50,000 reservation, and $250,000 paid in full to reserve one of the first 1,000 Founders Series cars, as Electrek recounts them.

Every promised date

What happened since

Through 2018 to 2023 the Roadster moved year by year without a production line. In Feb 2024 Musk wrote that Tesla had "radically increased the design goals" and called the coming demo possibly "the most mind-blowing product demo of all time" (CNBC); CNBC noted that Tesla's shareholder update at the time described the car as in development, with no pilot line and no chosen factory.

At the Nov 6, 2025 shareholder meeting Musk set the demo for Apr 1, 2026, and joked that the date gave him deniability (Electrek). The demo became an unveil, planned for late April; on the Apr 22, 2026 earnings call he said "we may be able to debut that in a month or so" (Electrek). Tesla's Q4 2025 update of Jan 28, 2026 listed "preparations" for the Roadster's production, and the capacity table already said "Design development."

The unveil took place on Oct 15, 2026, at SpaceX's rocket test site near Waco (CNBC). A white two-seater ran up a curved ramp, clung to it upside down, left the ramp, rolled in the air and landed on its wheels (CBS News). Tesla engineers said two carbon-overwrapped tanks hold about 250 kg of air for the thrusters, and Lars Moravy ran a live 0 to 60 mph launch that Tesla's timer showed at 0.81 seconds. Musk said "this is not necessarily a safety-optimized car," and CNBC reported that it will not include Full Self-Driving, which puts it outside the driverless line of Full Self-Driving and Cybercab.

The new Roadster is not the car announced in 2017: the four seats became two, and the 0 to 60 mph target fell from 1.9 seconds to under one. Tesla's reservation page now names a Performance car, a limited Thrust edition and an invitation-only Rocket version with a "full flight system"; CBS News reported a $5,000 deposit to reserve the non-flying car and that the flying versions are not approved for public roads. The FAA told CBS News the vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft. On the Oct 21, 2026 earnings call Musk called the demo "one of the most exciting events" and gave no new date (Motley Fool transcript).

The status is Late, not Changed: the car still officially exists only as a reservation, and every date Musk gave before 2028 has passed.

We think

We think the first Roadsters delivered to customers will be the road-going Performance car, and that no thruster-equipped Roadster will be registered for public roads in the US by the end of 2028. Tesla itself only takes reservations for the non-flying car, the Rocket version is invitation-only, CBS News found no agency ready to approve a car that leaves the ground, and Tesla's capacity table still says "Design development."

Confidence: Likely. Check by: Dec 2028.

We expect Tesla to publish a Roadster price before production starts, but not before the end of 2027: nine years of deposits have gone without one, and Tesla has said nothing of a factory or a production line for the car.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Dec 2027.

Sources

• Tesla Semi & Roadster Unveil, Tesla on YouTube, Nov 16, 2017
• Roadster Event, Tesla on YouTube, Oct 15, 2026
• Q3 2026 Update, Tesla, Oct 21, 2026
• Q4 2025 Update, Tesla, Jan 28, 2026
• Tesla unveils long-delayed Roadster developed with SpaceX, fueling merger speculation, CNBC, Oct 15, 2026
• With Tesla Roadster debut, Elon Musk shows "flying cars are real", CBS News, Oct 16, 2026
• Tesla (TSLA) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript, The Motley Fool, Oct 22, 2026
• Tesla is supposed to imminently unveil its new Roadster after years of delays, Electrek, Apr 21, 2026
• Elon Musk pushes Tesla Roadster unveil again - now 'maybe in a month or so', Electrek, Apr 22, 2026
• Tesla delays Roadster demo to April 1 next year, production to 2027-28, Electrek, Nov 6, 2025
• Elon Musk is promising a next-generation Roadster six years later, CNBC, Feb 28, 2024