Tesla unveils second-generation Roadster with SpaceX-derived cold-gas thrusters; pricing and on-road variant details unresolved

Unveiling at SpaceX's McGregor facility

Tesla staged the second-generation Roadster reveal on the evening of October 15, 2026 (U.S. time) at SpaceX's rocket test site in McGregor, Texas, with the event streamed live. The demonstration vehicle was operated remotely with no one inside, and the stunt-capable configuration demonstrated on stage is not expected to be street-legal. Sources differ on the precise on-road performance of the base configuration; reporting in the source set describes a base 0–60 mph claim around 1.9 seconds, with the "SpaceX option package" cold-gas thrusters enabling sub-one-second 0–60 mph runs during the demonstration.

Cold-gas thrusters enable brief airborne maneuvers

During the demonstration, the Roadster climbed a curved ramp, jumped at full inversion, then used onboard compressed-gas thrusters to right itself and land on all four wheels, and was also shown briefly hovering over a line of parked vehicles and a Tesla Semi. Tesla vehicle engineering head Lars Moravy said the propulsion is enabled by four thrusters; the system stores about 260 kilograms of air and uses an onboard compressor for recharging, drawing on the same cold-gas technology SpaceX uses in some rockets. Musk described the package as "not necessarily a safety-optimized car" and said he hoped the production version would reach a top speed around Mach 0.5.

Tesla lists three Roadster variants, with reservations open for two

Tesla posted on X that the Roadster 2 will be sold in three variants: a two-seater "Performance" road-ready version without thrusters, a "Thrust" race-ready variant, and a one-seat "Rocket" "air ready" variant that the company website lists as "invite only." Reservations are currently open only for the Performance and Thrust versions. Reports in the source set put the reopened reservation deposit at $50,000 ($5,000 by credit card, $45,000 by wire), with Tesla not publishing a reservation count; the 2017 base-price target of $200,000 was not reaffirmed at the event and pricing remains unannounced.

Production targeted for 2028, with prior timelines missed

Tesla executives said at the event that production of the Roadster 2 is targeted to begin in 2028, with Musk quoted as saying production was set to begin in 2028, "actually." The Roadster 2 was first announced in November 2017 with an initial ship target of 2020, and the source set notes the program has been repeatedly delayed since. Source-set items also state that Tesla is preparing for production using cold-gas hardware, though the company had not confirmed whether the SpaceX option package will ship on production cars.

Market reaction and analyst context

Following the reveal, Tesla shares rose roughly 3% in premarket trading the morning of October 16 and were reported up about 4% in morning trading at $375.29, even as the stock remains down about 17% year to date per the same report. Among other EV makers tracked in the source set, Rivian edged up about 1% to $13.15 and Lucid was essentially unchanged at $3.50. The Roadster was not discussed on Tesla's Q2 2026 earnings call in July, which focused on Model Y, Robotaxi, Cybercab, Optimus and the Semi; Morningstar, cited in one report, projects about 2,000 Roadster sales a year against Tesla's roughly 1.6 million vehicles sold last year.

Comparable EV halo cars and unresolved buyer questions

Source-set reporting compares the Roadster to existing ultra-luxury EVs including the Rimac Nevera, Ferrari's Luce and upcoming models from Jaguar and Rolls-Royce, and notes that the Nevera produces four-wheel independent drive from permanent-magnet AC synchronous motors. Key buyer-facing items the source set lists as unresolved include final price, a firm production date and a plan for original-2017 deposit holders; Sam Altman publicly mocked the delay by posting his refund request. Musk has previously called the Roadster a "small potato situation" that would not move Tesla's financial needle.