Tesla shows a flying Roadster with SpaceX thrusters
The redesigned supercar drove upside down and hopped over other Teslas, with production promised for 2028.
Autos · Friday, October 16, 2026 · 6:15 AM ET
Tesla unveiled a redesigned second-generation Roadster on Thursday night with cold-gas thrusters supplied by SpaceX. In a demonstration it drove up an inverted ramp, flipped and landed, and flew over other Tesla vehicles (TechCrunch, The Verge).
What Tesla showed
CEO Elon Musk showed the car at an event outside Waco, Texas. TechCrunch said Tesla showed it going from 0 to 60 mph in one second, and The Verge said under a second. Musk said production would start in 2028 (TechCrunch, The Verge). He called it "the best of the last of the human-driven cars," TechCrunch reported. Musk also said "this is not necessarily a safety-optimized car," according to The Verge.
The Verge said the event did not mention price or release date. TechCrunch said Tesla's website was taking reservations on Thursday, charging $50,000 to reserve the Performance trim and $250,000 for the Thrust trim, with the Rocket trim "invite only." The car has a 300-mile range and can top 230 mph in all three trims, TechCrunch said.
The stock
Stocktwits and Investing.com reported Tesla shares rose more than 4% in early premarket trading after the reveal, with Investing.com putting the gain at 4.7%. Moves before the open can change by the time trading starts. SpaceX also appeared in our earlier story on its spectrum deal.