Tesla officially unveiled its redesigned, next-generation Roadster on October 15, 2026, during a livestreamed event at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas. The demonstration ran unmanned. The Roadster was operated remotely for the demonstration.
The showcase featured the new Roadster accelerating up a massive curved ramp, using a fan-based suction system to remain attached until it was completely upside down, before using integrated cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX to launch off the ramp, flip in midair, and land back on the ground.
The Roadster also demonstrated driving upside down, jumping over five Tesla cars lined up side by side and performing a midair barrel roll using SpaceX thrusters. Three versions of the car were confirmed. The new car is a two-seater, comes in three trim levels based on how much it can fly, and will be produced starting in 2028.
“Turns out the future does have flying cars,” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said at the SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas.
Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy added, “Flying cars are real.”
Performance: the base road-going version reaches 0–60 mph in under 1.6 seconds. The Thrust variant does it in under 0.9 seconds, and the Rocket variant in under 0.59 seconds.
Tesla said the Roadster could accelerate from zero to 96.6 kilometers per hour in one second with its thrusters engaged and reach a maximum speed of 370 kilometers per hour.
The car carries about 260 kilograms of air and is capable of recharging its air tank using an onboard compressor that operates autonomously.
Tesla said the design was inspired by the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft and the F-35 fighter jet.
But the version that flies comes with a catch. At the event near Waco, Texas, on October 15, 2026, Tesla showed its long-delayed Roadster using cold-gas thrusters to lift itself off the ground, but Tesla’s own Roadster page says only the top version “can fly,” that version is invite only, and it is “not approved for public road use.”
Musk told the audience it would be a car “on the roads,” then qualified that statement, saying he was not sure it would be legal in every jurisdiction.
In the United States, buyers would probably need FAA approval and an aviation license and could only fly from approved locations such as private land, airports, or designated helipads.
Reservations reopened the same night. Tesla’s reservation page listed a $50,000 reservation payment for the “Performance” version and a $250,000 reservation payment for the “Thrust” version, which features “acceleration thrusters.”
An invite-only “Rocket” variant is a single-seat model with a “full flight system.”
Tesla has not said how much the new Roadster will cost, though it is expected to exceed $250,000.
Tesla announced the successor way back in 2017, took in reservations with high deposits, and originally said deliveries would begin in 2020, meaning initial reservation holders have been waiting a long time.
Musk, who confirmed production of the long-awaited vehicle was set to begin in 2028, said “actually” to emphasize the date.
Estimated volumes of around 2,000 units a year are tiny next to the company’s total sales, so any share reaction is likely to be about sentiment and brand rather than earnings.
Tesla shares rose over three percent in aftermarket trade following the reveal.
Tesla has not yet said what will happen to the people who placed a reservation for the car it announced nine years ago, which looks and functions completely differently from the one that bears its name today.
There is no confirmed price, no road-legal confirmation for the versions that perform the aerial maneuvers, and a production date that comes from a company that has missed this car’s deadlines for six years. Whether the flying Tesla Roadster becomes an ordinary car buyers can purchase and operate or a closed-course spectacle priced beyond most incomes remains the question 2028 will have to answer.
