Forget 0 to 60. Tesla Roadster flies, flips with SpaceX thrusters

Forget zero to 60. Tesla is aiming higher. Literally.

A flying car may have edged closer to reality on Oct 15 when Tesla unveiled a redesigned Roadster equipped with thrusters and said the long-delayed sports car would enter production in 2028.

The unveiling marks the latest chapter for a vehicle that has become one of Tesla's longest-delayed products. Tesla first revealed a prototype of the second-generation Roadster in 2017 and said at the time that deliveries would begin in 2020.

The two-seater, developed in collaboration with CEO Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX, was demonstrated driving upside down on a ramp using a suction system and turning in the air before landing with built-in thrusters. It was later shown leaping over a truck and other vehicles while twisting in the air.

The use and legality of such features on public roads were not immediately clear.

"This is the culmination of incredible work by Tesla and SpaceX engineers working closely together to make something that you haven't seen in any movie," Musk said at the event at a SpaceX ​test site in McGregor, Texas.

Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said the Roadster can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than one second and reach a top speed of more than 230 mph. Before the demonstration, Musk cautioned attendees that the outcome was uncertain.

"By the way, success is not guaranteed," he said. "I mean that. It'll probably work, but if it doesn't work, we're at a safe distance."

Tesla executives did not announce a target price during the event. When the vehicle was first introduced nearly a decade ago, the company quoted a base price of $200,000 (S$256,000).

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A symbolic vehicle for Tesla

The vehicle operated without a driver during the showcase, a decision Musk said was made "to make sure we don't kill anyone." Musk added that the Roadster is expected to be Tesla's only manually driven vehicle in the long term and touted its capabilities, saying it "can basically fly like a rocket" and perform "crazy gymnastics," while acknowledging it is "not necessarily a safety optimized car."

Despite the attention surrounding the vehicle, Musk has previously downplayed its financial importance. In 2023, he described the Roadster as a "small potato situation" that would not "move the needle in a major way financially" for Tesla.

Even if it is not expected to generate significant sales, analysts say the new Roadster could play an important role in Tesla's image.

"Tesla does not currently have a halo car, or high-performance luxury vehicle designed to showcase an automaker's best engineering and technology. The Roadster will be Tesla's new halo car," Seth Goldstein, an analyst at Morningstar, wrote in a note last month.

Following the event on Oct. 15, Tesla's reservation page listed multiple versions of the vehicle. A "Performance" model requires a $50,000 deposit, while a "Thrust" version featuring "acceleration thrusters" requires a $250,000 deposit.

Tesla also listed an invitation-only "Rocket" variant, described as a single-seat model with a "full flight system."

Shift beyond traditional cars

The Roadster's debut arrives as Tesla increasingly focuses on artificial intelligence, self-driving technology and robotics rather than conventional passenger vehicles.

This year, the company stopped selling Model S and Model X vehicles to make room for production of its Optimus humanoid robots. It also launched Cybercab, a two-seat robotaxi that lacks traditional controls such as a steering wheel, pedals, and mirrors.

The original Roadster, sold from 2008 to 2012, was Tesla's first electric vehicle. Built on a Lotus Elise chassis, it helped establish the automaker's reputation by demonstrating that battery-powered vehicles could deliver sports-car performance.

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