Tesla reveals next-gen Roadster with air thrusters, brief hover; production targeted for 2028
What happened
Tesla finally showed off its next-generation Roadster at an outdoor livestreamed event Thursday evening near SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site, after nearly nine years of delays. Elon Musk called it a 'better than James Bond car.' The car features air thrusters and fans using SpaceX-derived cold-gas thruster technology; during the demo it drove up a ramp, briefly hovered upside down, and jumped over a row of Teslas. Tesla demonstrated an acceleration run clocked at around 1 second 0-60 mph (timing method unclear), cited a 230-mph top speed, and said production will begin in 2028. Musk acknowledged the car was not necessarily designed with safety as the top priority. TSLA shares fell about 1.3% in Thursday's regular session before the evening event.
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Start your free 14-day trialWho’s affected
- TSLA: halo-product reveal with limited near-term revenue impact
- SpaceX (private) via the shared cold-gas thruster technology and venue. No direct read-through to Tesla's volume EV business.