Overview
- Tesla staged a live demonstration at a SpaceX test site that showed the Roadster cling to an inverted ramp, launch into the air, perform midair flips and record a company‑reported 0.81 second 0–60 mph run.
- The car combines a fan‑powered underbody suction system and roughly 10 cold‑gas thruster nozzles fed by high‑pressure air tanks to generate the downforce and short bursts of thrust used in the stunts.
- Tesla posted three variants on its website — Performance (road‑ready with suction), Thrust (adds rear thrusters) and Rocket (single‑seat, perimeter thrusters) — and reopened reservations with large deposits but no final prices.
- Company leaders said production is targeted around 2028, the Rocket model is flagged as not approved for public roads, and the demo used a mannequin with no independent testing or regulator approvals yet.
- After nearly a decade of delays since the 2017 announcement, the reveal serves as an engineering showcase that could influence Tesla’s brand and tech direction while leaving open questions about real‑world safety, certification and what buyers will actually receive.