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The '''Tesla Roadster (second generation)''' is an electric sports car from Tesla, Inc. First shown as a prototype in 2017, it was unveiled in near-production form on October 15, 2026, with a demonstration that Elon Musk presented as the car flying. Tesla says production will begin in 2028.<ref name="wiki">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster_(second_generation) "Tesla Roadster (second generation)"], ''Wikipedia'', read October 16, 2026 (summarizing TechCrunch, Top Gear and other reports).</ref>

== Background ==
Tesla's first car was also called the Roadster. The new car shares the name but is a completely new design.

The second-generation Roadster first appeared on '''November 16, 2017''', when a prototype was driven out of a semi-trailer at the end of the Tesla Semi event. Tesla then promised a 0–60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, a range of 620 miles and a price of $200,000, with production in 2020.<ref name="electrek">Fred Lambert, [https://electrek.co/2026/10/13/tesla-roadster-event-thursday-nine-years-delays/ "Tesla sets Roadster event for Thursday after nearly 9 years of delays"], ''Electrek'', October 13, 2026.</ref><ref name="wiki" /> In June 2018 Musk added the idea of a "SpaceX option package" with rocket-style cold-gas thrusters (see [[Flight and the SpaceX package]]).<ref name="wiki" />

== Years of delays ==
The production date slipped again and again: from 2020 to 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and finally 2027 or 2028. The unveiling itself was rescheduled several times through 2025 and 2026.<ref name="electrek" /> See the full list in the [[Timeline]].

== The 2026 unveiling ==
Tesla held the event on the evening of '''October 15, 2026''' at SpaceX's rocket test facility in McGregor, Texas. It had first been set for October 1 but was called off because of the weather, since the show could only be held outdoors.<ref name="electrek" /><ref name="oracle">Iqtidar Ali, [https://www.teslaoracle.com/2026/10/15/watch-the-tesla-roadster-unveiling-event-live-get-live-updates-pics-and-info/ "Watch the live stream of the Tesla Roadster unveiling event and get live updates"], ''Tesla Oracle'', October 15, 2026.</ref>

In the main demonstration the car drove up a curved ramp, held itself upside down, launched off the end, flipped in the air and landed. Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, said a fan suction system under the car makes the upside-down part possible, and that the rest borrows SpaceX technology. A second demonstration had the car jump over a row of Tesla vehicles.<ref name="euronews">Nathan Rennolds, [https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/16/well-it-worked-elon-musk-unveils-new-tesla-roadster-that-can-fly "'Well, it worked': Elon Musk unveils new Tesla Roadster that can fly"], ''Euronews'', October 16, 2026.</ref>

Musk said the car is "not necessarily a safety-optimized car" and described it as the Tesla that will stay manually driven the longest.<ref name="oracle" /><ref name="euronews" />

== Versions ==
Tesla is taking reservations for three versions:<ref name="euronews" /><ref name="wiki" />
* '''Performance''': $50,000 reservation
* '''Thrust''': $250,000 reservation; adds rear cold-gas thrusters
* '''Rocket''': by invitation only; adds more thrusters (reported as intended for off-road use)
No purchase prices were announced. See [[Specifications]] for performance claims.

== Still unknown ==
* The final price of each version
* Whether the thruster versions will be street-legal
* Independent tests of the acceleration, top speed and range claims
* Whether production really starts in 2028

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Tesla Roadster]]