The story

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Saturday the electric vehicle maker would unveil its long-delayed Roadster on October 1, nearly a decade after first revealing a next-generation version of its original sports car. Tesla's account on social media platform X posted a graphic displaying the date alongside the message "Go for launch," and Musk later replied saying "New Tesla Roadster Unveil 10.01."

Tesla first unveiled the next-generation Roadster in November 2017 and said deliveries would begin in 2020, but the program has faced repeated delays. At the 2017 unveiling, Tesla said the vehicle would accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, cover the quarter mile in 8.9 seconds, exceed 250 mph, travel 620 miles on one charge, seat four people, and have a 200-kWh battery. The base price was announced as $200,000 or $250,000 for a special Founders Series. Reservations ran $50,000 for the standard car and $250,000 for the Founders Series.

The Information reported in August that Tesla planned to unveil a redesigned Roadster and that the unveiling event could include a demonstration of a limited edition version equipped with cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX. The demonstration is expected to take place at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas. Musk first announced a SpaceX Package in 2018, saying it could incorporate approximately 10 small thrusters arranged around the Roadster. In 2024, Musk claimed the new Roadster would be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than one second and suggested it might "fly a little."