- Tesla has reportedly delayed its next-generation Roadster demonstration until at least August.
- The EV is expected to lift off of the ground via a SpaceX-derived cold gas thruster system.
- Nearly nine years after its debut, the Roadster remains one of Tesla’s longest-delayed products.
When Tesla first unveiled the second-generation Roadster back in 2017, it promised a supercar-slaying electric flagship capable of rewriting performance benchmarks. The company even suggested production would begin in 2020. It’s now 2026. You might want to take a seat. According to multiple sources familiar with the project, the Roadster’s latest public demonstration has been delayed once again.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said a demo was coming last year. Then, in October 2025, he said that the company would unveil the car on April 1, 2026. That date came and went. Musk later suggested the event would happen in May or early June. That didn’t happen either. Now, sources say the demonstration has been pushed to August or later, with Texas expected to host the event.
More: This Might Be The Tesla Roadster’s Biggest Update Since 2017
The centerpiece of the demonstration reportedly won’t just be the car itself. Instead, Tesla plans to showcase its collaboration with SpaceX on a cold gas thruster system designed to dramatically improve acceleration and, according to previous comments from Musk, potentially allow the vehicle to briefly lift off the ground.
Yes, really. What could possibly go wrong?
Sources speaking to The Information claim Tesla employees and SpaceX engineers presented Musk with an early demonstration of the technology, internally known as A71, in late April. The company is reportedly planning a limited-edition SpaceX version of the Roadster alongside a less extreme variant.
This is the company whose infamous Cybertruck launch event featured a supposedly armored window shattering on stage in front of a live audience. A public demonstration involving a car equipped with rocket-inspired thrusters seems destined to attract an entirely different level of scrutiny. No doubt, some users will misuse this tech if they get their hands on it.
Then again, before anyone can misuse a rocket-powered Tesla, the company still has to unveil it. Keep in mind that through all of this, reservation holders have been stuck with deposits that could’ve been raking in big bucks had that cash been holding Tesla stock rather than a place in line for a car that, so far, doesn’t exist.
