Tesla demonstrates airborne Roadster and targets production in 2028
SpaceX-assisted manoeuvres mark a new unveiling, while performance claims and delivery plans remain unproven.
Tesla demonstrated a redesigned Roadster lifting off the ground and manoeuvring in the air at a Texas presentation on Thursday. Elon Musk said production was planned for 2028, extending the wait for the electric sports car.
The presentation took place at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas, on 15 October. During the demonstration, the car travelled along a curved ramp until it was inverted, then left the surface, rotated in the air and landed with assistance from its thrusters. EFE reported the sequence from the unveiling. [EFE](https://efe.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/2026-10-16/tesla-presenta-roadster-capacidad-volar-rapidez/)
The technology was developed through collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers. According to EFE, the propulsion system uses air stored under high pressure rather than conventional rocket fuel. A separate suction system helps hold the vehicle against the driving surface. These mechanisms account for the demonstration without supporting suggestions that the car somehow overturns the laws of physics. [EFE](https://efe.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/2026-10-16/tesla-presenta-roadster-capacidad-volar-rapidez/)
The product’s different configurations mean readers need to interpret the presentation with care. Tesla’s own Roadster page says its displayed features and specifications refer to the optional Thrust upgrade, and separately warns that the Rocket version is unavailable in some regions. Those qualifications mean readers should not assume that every feature shown or advertised belongs to every version of the car. [Tesla](https://www.tesla.com/roadster)
Tesla’s advertised acceleration figure for the Thrust upgrade is under one second from rest to 60mph, according to a comparison of the announcement and company page by GetTesla. Its account explicitly notes that the reported performance figures have not been independently tested. A manufacturer’s timed demonstration is evidence of what it presented, rather than independent verification of repeatable performance in customers’ vehicles. [GetTesla](https://gettesla.com/roadster)
There is also a distinction between leaving the ground during a demonstration and being approved for everyday use. Axios reported that Tesla lists three models and acknowledges that the flying version is not approved for public roads. For British readers, the US presentation therefore provides no basis for assuming that its airborne capabilities will be available for lawful use on UK roads. [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/16/tesla-roadster-elon-musk-flying-car)
Commercial details remain incomplete. Reuters reported that executives did not announce final prices at the event. It described reservation deposits of $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust, with the single-seat Rocket offered by invitation. Those sums are reservation requirements, not confirmed purchase prices, and do not establish a British retail price or a delivery date for UK customers. [Reuters](https://live.euronext.com/en/financial-news/teslas-new-roadster-turns-air-spacex-thrusters-wont-land-until-2028)
The production target also needs to be read against the project’s history. Tesla first presented a next-generation Roadster in 2017 and originally promised deliveries in 2020, Reuters reported. Thursday’s event provides a new demonstration and a revised production target. It does not yet establish that production has begun or that the performance shown will reach customers on the proposed schedule. [Reuters](https://live.euronext.com/en/financial-news/teslas-new-roadster-turns-air-spacex-thrusters-wont-land-until-2028)
Fact-check Approved · Priya Shah — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The 15 October unveiling is corroborated by reporting published before the edition’s cut-off. The article distinguishes demonstrated manoeuvres, advertised performance and future production plans.
- confirmed Tesla demonstrated airborne manoeuvres at McGregor on 15 October. — EFE describes the location, ramp sequence and landing. source
- confirmed Tesla and SpaceX developed compressed-air propulsion alongside a suction system. — EFE describes the engineering collaboration and mechanisms. source
- confirmed Tesla’s page qualifies its specifications by upgrade and regional availability. — Accessible company footnotes identify Thrust as optional and Rocket as regionally restricted. source
- uncertain Thrust can achieve 0–60mph in under one second. — Reported as an advertised figure only; independent performance verification was not found. source
- confirmed Tesla acknowledges that the flying version is not approved for public roads. — Axios reports this qualification; no UK approval is asserted. source
- confirmed Final prices were unannounced; reported deposits were $50,000 and $250,000. — Reuters distinguishes deposits from prices and describes Rocket as invitation-only and single-seat. source
- confirmed Musk targets 2028 production, following a 2017 unveiling and original 2020 delivery promise. — Reuters confirms the announcement and history, not future delivery. source
Editor's note
Independent news agencies corroborate the unveiling and demonstration. Acceleration remains a company claim, 2028 remains a production target, and UK pricing, availability and road approval were not established. Tesla’s accessible product-page text supplied configuration caveats; this article does not treat the demonstration as an independent engineering test.Sources
- Tesla presents a Roadster capable of airborne manoeuvres — EFE
- Roadster — Electric Sports Car — Tesla
- Tesla Roadster: 2026 reveal, specifications and reservations — GetTesla
- Elon Musk’s flying Tesla is gloriously absurd — Axios
- Tesla’s new Roadster turns in air with SpaceX thrusters, won’t land until 2028 — Reuters, published by Euronext
More on this in other media
- Sky News — „tesla roadster”
- BBC News — „tesla roadster”
- The Guardian — „tesla roadster”