Roadster can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than one second and can hit a top speed of over 230 mph<\/p>\n
Tesla unveils its long-delayed Roadster nearly a decade after first revealing a next-generation version of its original electric sports \u200bcar, at a launch event in Waco, Texas, US. REUTERS <\/p>\n
Tesla unveiled a redesigned Roadster powered with rocket-style thrusters on \u200bThursday and said it would start production in 2028, more than a decade after it first showed a next-generation version of its electric sports car.<\/p>\n
The white two-seater vehicle, \u200cdeveloped in collaboration with CEO Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, drove upside down on a ramp using a suction system, turned in the air and landed using built-in thrusters. Later in the event, it used the thrusters to jump over a truck and other vehicles, twisting in the air during the manoeuvre.<\/p>\n
Some watchers saw the collaboration as Musk drumming up interest in a merger of the two big companies he controls, an idea he has explored by discussing their \u200boverlap.<\/p>\n
\nFlying cars may be closer than we think.<\/p>\n
Elon Musk showcases a Tesla Roadster demonstration featuring a “kickflip” through the air over other vehicles in Texas, leaving the crowd in awe as he teases a not-so-distant future where cars could do more than just drive.<\/p>\n
“This will be\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/kZPRU59Myw<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Fox News (@FoxNews) October 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
Tesla shares were up 5% in premarket trading on Friday.<\/p>\n
The reveal gives Tesla a showpiece car after years of missed Roadster deadlines, but it comes as the company shifts its focus \u200bto self-driving technology and robotics, and days before third-quarter results that analysts say matter more to investors.<\/p>\n
Read<\/strong>:\u00a0Tesla plans to build new electric vehicles in mid-2025<\/a><\/p>\n
“It was an engineering flex with no commercial value \u2060beyond embarrassing traditional car makers,” Gene Munster, managing partner at Tesla investor Deepwater Asset Management, said on social media platform X.<\/p>\n
“The Roadster event is the latest example of why Elon can’t wait to bring (Tesla) \u200band (SpaceX) together,” Munster said.<\/p>\n
\n\nTwo takeaways from tonight\u2019s Roadster event.<\/p>\n
1. It was an engineering flex with no commercial value beyond embarrassing traditional car makers.<\/p>\n
2. Elon can\u2019t wait to bring $TSLA<\/a> and $SPCX<\/a> together.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Gene Munster (@munster_gene) October 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
Musk has played down the car’s importance to Tesla’s finances, describing it in 2023 as a “small potato situation” that would not “move the needle in a major way financially.”<\/p>\n
But the car still carries \u200bsymbolic weight.<\/p>\n
“Tesla does not currently have a halo car, or high-performance luxury vehicle designed to showcase an automaker’s best engineering and technology. The Roadster will be Tesla’s new halo car,” Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein said in a note last month.<\/p>\n
Viewers and witnesses gushed over the spectacle of the launch.<\/p>\n
“That was the most insane product demo I’ve ever seen,” Tesla fan and investor Sawyer Merritt posted<\/a> on X. “I just saw this in person, and I’m still asking how this wasn’t \u200bAI.”<\/p>\n
\n\nNow leaving the Tesla Roadster event.<\/p>\n
The hype going into this event was sky-high, yet Tesla somehow managed to exceed expectations. Kudos to all the engineers and designers. That was the most insane product demo I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n
The Roadster looks great in person. Can\u2019t wait to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/cANPgyjCDO<\/a><\/p>\n