EVwire Brief: Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the next-generation Roadster will probably be unveiled in late April, marking a shift from his earlier estimates of an April 1 reveal.
The update came via X, where Musk responded to a post referencing Tesla’s original Roadster production milestone.
The next-generation Roadster was initially unveiled in late 2017 with the Tesla Semi, and it was originally intended for a 2020 release date.
Elon brought the Roadster out as the “one more thing” during the Semi unveiling.
See how it says “available in 2020”
The next-generation Roadster was positioned as Tesla’s flagship hypercar with targets that included a top speed above 250 mph and a range of 620 miles.
At the time, Elon Musk called it a “hardcore smackdown to gasoline-powered cars.”
Later comments from Elon Musk hinted that the Roadster will be a collaborative effort between Tesla and SpaceX, as the hypercar will be using cold gas thrusters.
The CEO has also frequently joked that the new Roadster would be able to fly for short hops.
Following years of delays, Tesla filed a new trademark application for the new Roadster. It featured a stylized “Roadster” wordmark and an updated silhouette of the hypercar:
New Roadster timing tied to Tesla’s broader priorities
Tesla has consistently framed the new Roadster as a halo product designed to showcase the company’s engineering capabilities rather than serve as a high-volume vehicle. With Tesla going all-in on autonomy, the new Roadster is also set to become its last true driver’s car.
Musk has previously described the Roadster as “dessert,” suggesting it would follow the company’s “main course” priorities.
With the Model Y becoming the world’s best-selling car by volume for three years in a row, the Cybercab entering mass production, and FSD being practically complete, Tesla’s time for “dessert” might finally be at hand.
Tesla has not yet confirmed final specifications, pricing, or production timing for the new Roadster, but the upcoming unveil would mark the most significant update on the program since its initial reveal.
Elon Musk is definitely optimistic about the vehicle, telling Joe Rogan in a previous podcast appearance that the upcoming next-generation Roadster unveiling “has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever.”
The next-generation Tesla Roadster is not the only vehicle that is seeing some fresh progress. The Tesla Semi, which was unveiled during the same event as the next-gen Roadster in late 2017, has also been seeing a lot of developments.
We saw our first glimpse of the Tesla Semi Factory interior near Giga Nevada.
BP Pulse has set up its own Tesla Semi Megacharger in California.
A study from Uber Freight pointed to massive savings by using the Tesla Semi over diesel trucks.
It took over eight years, but both the Semi and the Roadster programs are basically launching commercially at the same time!
