Tesla Says Its New Roadster Is a Flying Car. Here Is What the Demo Showed and What Is Still Unproven

Tesla unveiled its second-generation Roadster on 15th October at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, and its executives called it a flying car. "Turns out the future does have flying cars," Elon Musk said, as Fox Business covered the livestreamed reveal. What the audience saw was a car that used fans and thrusters to run upside down, launch off a ramp, flip and land, and jump over other vehicles. It was not sustained flight, and the performance figures come from Tesla.

What Tesla Showed on Stage

In the first demo the Roadster drove up a curved ramp, used a fan suction system to stay attached until it was upside down, then fired cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX to launch, flip in mid-air and land. Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice-president of vehicle engineering, said the suction system can pull up to 2 Gs, as Euronews detailed.

In the second, it jumped over a lineup of Tesla vehicles, which TechCrunch listed as a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Semi, Model Y and Model 3. A third demo showed a 0 to 60 mph run in under one second. Dezeen noted that the demo ran a pre-programmed sequence with no driver.

TechCrunch lists ten thrusters connected to 600 litres of compressed air that can be recharged. Musk reacted to the ramp stunt by saying it worked, and joked that the car is not necessarily built with safety first.

What the reveal demonstrated and what remains unconfirmed

Three Versions and What Reserving One Costs

TechCrunch describes three trims:

• Performance: "road ready", two seats, with active aerodynamics. The reservation costs $50,000.

• Thrust: "race ready", two seats, with rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters and sub-one-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration. The reservation costs $250,000.

• Rocket: "air ready", one seat and ten cold-gas thrusters. It is invite only.

All trims are listed at 300 miles of range and speeds above 230 mph. Tesla gave no price for the car itself, and production is planned for 2028.

Why "Flying" Needs Quotation Marks

Fox Business notes the flying is a ramp-launched thrust demonstration, not sustained flight, and that the performance and force claims come from Tesla and Musk and not from independent testing. Euronews does not mention any regulatory approval, certification or road-legal status for the flight or the stunts, and Dezeen says street legality of the flying capability is uncertain.

Tesla says the thrusters generate four to five times the force the tyres can, which it argues is why acceleration improves. Whether that holds up outside a staged demo is the open question.

A Long History of Delays

The Roadster was first unveiled in 2017, with deliveries then planned for 2020. TechCrunch counts delays in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, and says the reveal itself slipped several times after 2025. Musk has also said the car may not move the needle much on revenue, so it is as much a showpiece as a product.

What to Watch Next

Four things will decide whether this becomes a product: a published price, independent testing of the 0 to 60 mph and flight claims, a regulatory answer on street use, and whether production starts in 2028 as planned. Until then, the only money involved is a reservation deposit of $50,000 or $250,000, and the only evidence is Tesla's own livestream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the New Tesla Roadster a Flying Car?

Tesla and Musk call it one, but the demo showed thruster-assisted ramp launches, flips and jumps, not sustained flight. The claims have not been independently tested.

How Much Does a Tesla Roadster Reservation Cost?

Reservations cost $50,000 for the Performance trim and $250,000 for the Thrust trim. The Rocket trim is invite only, and no price for the car has been given.

When Will the Tesla Roadster Be Produced?

Tesla says production is planned for 2028. The Roadster was first unveiled in 2017 with deliveries planned for 2020.

Who Built the Roadster's Thrusters?

Tesla developed the cold-gas thrusters with SpaceX, as Fox Business noted.