Three trims were shown in Texas, with reservations open again and no purchase price announced.
Tesla unveiled a redesigned second-generation Roadster on 15 October 2026 at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas. The company announced Performance, Thrust and Rocket trims, reopened reservations and said production would begin in 2028. No price was given.
Tesla has shown the redesigned second-generation Roadster, a car first promised in 2017, and says it will go into production in 2028. The reveal took place on 15 October at a SpaceX rocket test site in McGregor, Texas, close to Waco. Tesla announced three trims, two of them fitted with cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX, and did not announce a purchase price.
The event had been teased on 12 September for 1 October in Waco, then moved to 15 October because of rain. For the demonstration, an unmanned car combined high-powered fans and suction with the thrusters to climb an inverted ramp, rotate and lift briefly off the ground, hovering above other Tesla vehicles. Elon Musk called it among the best of the last cars a human will drive.
Trims and reservations
Reservations reopened the same day. The Performance needs a $50,000 deposit, the Thrust $250,000, and the Rocket can only be had if Tesla invites you.
| Trim | Reservation | Thrusters | Claimed 0-60 mph |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | $50,000 | n/a | n/a |
| Thrust | $250,000 | Four, rear-mounted | 0.81 seconds |
| Rocket | Invitation only | Ten, around the perimeter | Under 0.59 seconds |
The Rocket is a single-seater, and Tesla said it is meant for off-road use alone. Each trim has an active fan-suction system that generates downforce, which Tesla says allows cornering beyond 2 g. Engineers at the company have also talked about a base version that would slot beneath the Performance.
The claimed figures
Every number here is a company claim. At the event, Tesla put the range beyond 300 mi (480 km) and the top speed above 230 mph (370 km/h). It also claimed 0.81 seconds from 0 to 60 mph, a run nobody outside the company timed.
In a walkaround recorded before the reveal, Tesla engineers told Top Gear a different story on top speed: 214 mph (340 km/h) at first, with a 330 mph (530 km/h) version planned. They added that all versions drive the rear wheels only, using a pair of rear motors for torque vectoring, which replaces the 2017 plan of three motors and four driven wheels. Their other targets were output above 1,000 kW from a battery running at 800 to 1,000 volts, weight under 1,700 kg, real-world range near 310 to 320 mi (500 to 510 km) and charging faster than 500 kW.
The Thrust keeps nitrogen in a 200 L vessel pressurised to roughly 10,000 psi (690 bar), which fills the boot and supplies the four rear nozzles. A fill buys one burst lasting about five seconds, good for a 0-60 mph run in the region of 0.85 seconds. Refilling takes between two and six hours at present. On the Rocket, six further thrusters go on the front and sides, and the passenger seat gives way to a 400 L tank, bringing the total to 600 L.
Design and the long wait
The new car is angular and wedge-shaped, with styling Tesla ties to the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-35. It has hidden headlights, a full-length tail light, Ano White paint adapted from rocket coatings and gold-tinted windows meant to recall Apollo-era visors. Two seats are moulded into the chassis, steering is by a yoke through a steer-by-wire system, and the materials include magnesium, titanium and carbon fibre. Removable T-top panels, butterfly doors and a 2,825 mm (111.2 in) wheelbase complete the body.
That is a long way from the 2017 concept, which Tesla said would reach 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, travel roughly 620 miles (1,000 km) and arrive in 2020. Production dates have slipped since. Musk told shareholders in November 2025 that production would start in 2027 or 2028. The October reveal settled on 2028.
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