Tesla Roadster

Tesla Finally Puts a Date on the Roadster

The next-generation Tesla Roadster is headed for an October 1 reveal, nearly a decade after the red concept first appeared. Years of postponements turned the electric sports car into a running question mark, so a specific unveiling date is more meaningful than another promise that it is coming soon.

Four Circles Feed the SpaceX Question

Tesla's teaser shows little beyond the rear lighting and four circular elements on top of the car. Those shapes immediately invite comparisons with the cold-gas thrusters Tesla has discussed developing with SpaceX, technology intended to push the Roadster beyond the limits of an ordinary high-performance EV.

A Demonstrator and a Street Car May Diverge

Recent plans point toward two possible forms: a limited machine built to demonstrate the extreme thruster concept and a road-legal model intended for customers. The wilder version could be remotely operated during demonstrations because of the force and noise involved, leaving the production car to translate the spectacle into something usable on public roads.

Tesla engineering chief Lars Moravy has called the Roadster the company's "last, best driver's car" and a swan song before autonomous vehicles become common. The reveal now has to show what survived the long wait, and whether Tesla's most extravagant promises can become an actual sports car.