Ending years of anticipation, American electric vehicle pioneer Tesla has publicly demonstrated the production prototype of its next-generation Roadster sports car, engineered in collaboration with Elon Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX. The vehicle’s defining feature is its capability to hover, rotate mid-air, and leap over obstacles using specialized SpaceX cold-gas thruster technology.
The vehicle was unveiled during a demonstration in Texas, USA, on Thursday (October 15, 2026), attended by CEO Elon Musk, as reported by international news agency Reuters.
Aerobatic Thruster Demonstrations: During the Texas event, the white two-seater Roadster executed a maneuver along a semi-circular inverted ramp before using its thruster jets to rotate mid-air and land safely. The vehicle also demonstrated its airborne capability by leaping over a full-sized semi-truck and auxiliary vehicles.
Sub-One-Second Acceleration & Speed: Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, stated that the Roadster accelerates from 0 to 97 km/h (0–60 mph) in less than 1.0 second. The supercar achieves a top speed exceeding 370 km/h (230+ mph) and delivers an estimated driving range of over 480 kilometers (300+ miles) on a single charge.
Three Variants & Deposit Reservations: Reservation books have opened on Tesla’s official website requiring a $50,000 deposit for the base ‘Performance’ trim and $250,000 for the thruster-equipped ‘Thrust’ variant. The ultra-advanced single-seat ‘Rocket’ edition will be available strictly on an invitation-only basis.
Revised Production Timeline & Earnings Outlook: First teased as a concept in 2017 with an initial 2020 release target, production and customer deliveries are now officially scheduled to commence in 2028. Market analysts note that while investor interest remains high, attention is focused on Tesla’s Q3 financial results set for release on October 21.
