MCGREGOR: Tesla unveiled a redesigned Roadster with SpaceX-developed thrusters in Texas on Thursday and set a 2028 production target.
A white two-seat demonstrator drove upside down on a ramp using a suction system, rotated in the air and landed with built-in thrusters. It later jumped over a truck and other vehicles while twisting in the air. Tesla has not announced final selling prices.
Its reservation page lists a $50,000 deposit for the Performance version. Thrust, which adds acceleration thrusters, requires $250,000. An invitation-only Rocket configuration has one seat and what Tesla describes as a full flight system.
Vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy claimed acceleration from zero to 60mph in less than one second. He put top speed above 230mph, while Tesla quoted a range exceeding 300 miles per charge.
Tesla’s website specifies that its displayed features and specifications refer to the optional Thrust upgrade. It also notes that Rocket is unavailable in some regions.
Chief Executive Elon Musk described the project as a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers. Both companies worked on the vehicle demonstrated at the rocket company’s test site. Tesla first presented a prototype of the second-generation Roadster in 2017, when Musk promised deliveries in 2020. That deadline passed without the car reaching customers.
The original Roadster was Tesla’s first production vehicle. It used a Lotus Elise chassis and went on sale in 2008, with sales continuing until 2012. Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein described the new model last month as a luxury showpiece intended to demonstrate Tesla’s engineering and technology.
Gene Munster, managing partner at Tesla investor Deepwater Asset Management, called the demonstration “an engineering flex with no commercial value” in a post on X.
Musk had already played down the Roadster’s likely financial contribution in 2023. He argued then that it would not materially change Tesla’s financial performance.
Tesla is directing more of its development towards self-driving systems and robotics. Its projects include the Optimus humanoid robot and Cybercab, a two-seat robotaxi without conventional driving controls.
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Josh Gilbert, eToro’s lead analyst for Asia-Pacific, argued that investors cared more about quarterly margins and cash flow than the unveiling. Tesla is scheduled to publish third-quarter financial results on October 21.
(With additional input from Reuters)
