Finally got here.
Tesla unveiled its next-generation Roadster at a live broadcast event Thursday night, giving customers who have been waiting for years a fresh look at the EV maker’s new halo car.
In a dramatic demonstration, the Roadster went up a huge curved ramp until it flipped over. The car then flies off the ramp, flipping, and lands safely on the ground, thanks to what appears to be thrusters attached to the bottom of the vehicle.
“Well, it’s working,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the event. “Flying cars are real.”
The nameplate that was turned on has been around for a long time.
The original Roadster was Tesla’s first production vehicle, launched in California in 2008. It used a chassis derived from British sports car manufacturer Lotus’s Elise, but replaced the petrol engine with an all-electric powertrain. The model ended production in 2012.
Musk surprised the audience in November 2017 at an event for the Tesla Semi truck by unveiling the second generation Roadster. At the time, Tesla said the two-door sports car would have a zero-to-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph, a range of more than 600 miles, and a whopping 200 kilowatt hour battery.
That month, customers can put down a $50,000 deposit to reserve a Roadster, or pay $250,000 up front for a Founders Series model.
Musk also floated a SpaceX package for a supercar with cold gas thrusters that he said would “allow Tesla to fly.”
With a wait time of up to ten years, Musk apologized to depositors for their “long patience” on the earnings call, adding that Tesla is very focused on its robotics and autonomy programs.
“The Roadster is not just the icing on the cake; it’s the cherry on the icing on the cake,” he said at the time. “We’re working on it, but it has to be behind things that have a more serious impact on the world.”
Tesla began ramping up the Roadster’s design cycle in the summer of 2025, Business Insider previously reported.
Musk has been hyping the livestreamed event on Friday at X. He claims the event will be “the biggest product demo candidate of all time” and “the whole world will be watching this.”
In a live event, Musk called the latest Roadster the result of collaboration with Tesla and SpaceX engineers.