Tesla's New Roadster Climbs a Ramp, Hangs Upside Down and Lands
At a SpaceX test site in Texas, a physical next-generation Roadster climbed a curved ramp, hung upside down, left the ground and landed before a live audience, with a robot in the driver's seat. Tesla says production starts in 2028; it gave no price.
Tesla's next-generation Roadster climbed a curved ramp, hung upside down and landed on Thursday night, October 15, before a live audience at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, near Waco. The white two-seater stopped partway up the ramp, held itself inverted, flipped off the top, later jumped over a line of other Teslas and came back down. An Optimus robot sat in the driver's seat, and presenters suggested the car had been programmed to perform the stunts. On a separate run, Tesla's own timer showed 0 to 60 miles per hour in 0.81 seconds.
Tesla says the car will come in three versions and that production starts in 2028. The company gave no price. Tesla's own page says the most extreme version is not approved for public roads.
Why it matters: this was a physical car doing these maneuvers in front of a crowd, not renderings or video. Whether buyers will get a car that does the same, and when, is still open. Tesla first showed the Roadster in November 2017, said it would be available in 2020, and has delivered none.
The hopeful detail: Tesla has reopened $50,000 deposits, so buyers can now judge a car they have seen run.
MCGREGOR, Texas — Tesla's next-generation Roadster climbed a curved ramp, hung upside down and landed on Thursday night before a live audience at a SpaceX test site here, near Waco, with a robot in the driver's seat.
The livestream began shortly after 8:55 p.m. Eastern and the demonstration lasted under half an hour. Elon Musk was joined on stage by design chief Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering. "You're going to see the results of what happens when you have a collaboration with the world's best car company and the world's best rocket company," Musk told the crowd.
The white two-seater raced up a curved ramp, stopped partway, hung upside down and flipped off the top. It later jumped over a line of other Teslas, flipped and landed. An Optimus robot sat in the driver's seat. Presenters suggested the robot was there for show and the car had been programmed to do the stunts. "This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car," Musk said.
Tesla's own timer showed 0 to 60 miles per hour in 0.81 seconds on a separate run. "We anticipate being able to do better than that," Musk said. Asked about top speed, presenters put it at least at 235 miles per hour, and Musk said the car could go "much faster than that."
What Tesla says it will sell
Tesla says the Roadster will come in three versions. Performance, the version taking reservations, has active aerodynamics and fans that suck the car toward the ground. Thrust, a limited release, adds cold-gas thrusters at the rear; Tesla says it reaches 60 miles per hour in under one second. Rocket, by invitation only, has thrusters around the car. Tesla's page says, "Note: Not approved for public road use."
Tesla has reopened $50,000 deposits in the United States, Canada and China. It gave no price. Musk said production would start in 2028.
Nine years since the first show
Tesla first showed the next-generation Roadster in November 2017, as a surprise at the end of its Semi truck event, and said it would be available in 2020. It took $50,000 deposits, and $250,000 for a limited Founders Series. No customer has received a car from that program, and Musk's hoped-for demonstration before the end of 2025 did not happen. A planned showing on October 1 was scrapped because of weather.
Some buyers have waited the whole time. Lawrence O'Connor, founder and chief executive of Other World Computing in Austin, Texas, said before the event that he reserved a Founder's Edition car in November 2017, giving the company what he called an "interest-free loan" of $250,000. He said he would attend Thursday's show.
What it settles and what it does not
Thursday settled one question: Tesla has a physical Roadster that can climb a ramp, hold itself upside down and leave the ground under its own systems. It did not settle whether regulators will allow the thruster versions on public roads, whether the 2028 date holds, or what the car will cost. The stunts were programmed, and a car that buyers drive may not match them.
What happens next
Tesla has given no price list and no delivery window for the first customer cars. Whether the reopened deposits turn into cars depends on engineering, safety approval and a schedule Tesla has missed before.