The Tesla Roadster should go into production in 2028, but don't get your hopes up
I drive upside down on the boulevard of broken dreams.
New Announcement Details
Tesla announced the redesigned Roadster at its October 15 event, showcasing a unique stunt where the car drove up a C-shaped ramp and floated down on rocket boosters. The company is targeting a 2028 production window, with the "Thrust" trim level, featuring cold-gas thrusters, costing $250,000 to reserve. CEO Elon Musk stated, "We enter production in 2028. Actually, for real."
This is not the first time Tesla has announced the second-generation Roadster, leading to questions about whether this is another 'paper launch' for the long-awaited sports car.
The Original Roadster's Legacy
The original Roadster, released in 2008, was a significant milestone for Tesla. Conceived by co-founder Martin Eberhard, it was the vehicle that initially attracted Elon Musk to the startup. Built on a Lotus Elise chassis, it impressed with a 244-mile range on a single charge at the time.
Initial Unveiling and Promises
The redesigned Roadster was first unveiled in November 2017, positioned as the pinnacle of Tesla's electric vehicle innovations. Elon Musk described it as "a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars" and initially targeted a 2020 release. A "SpaceX" package, promising around 10 small rocket thrusters for enhanced performance, was announced in February 2018.
Years of Delays Begin
Despite accepting deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, the initial 2020 production window passed without the Roadster. In a July 2020 earnings call, Musk projected production within 12 to 18 months, attributing delays partly to the global public health crisis. He also noted a preference to prioritize the Cybertruck's development.
Subsequent delays pushed the car's projected release from 2022 to 2023, and then further into 2024, with no Roadster appearing on the market.
And those years have been bizarre for Musk and Tesla, to say the least. The CEO has undergone a public transformation from public environmentalist to far-right political kingmaker, a period which culminated in a slash-and-burn of the Federal government as he headed up president Donald Trump's newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. By July 2025, The Lancet had published a study projecting the cuts could lead to more than 14 million deaths by 2030. Musk has disputed those numbers, but the reputational damage his stint in government caused spilled over to Tesla, leading to widespread global protests against the company. As Musk stepped down from DOGE in May 2025, dogged by allegations of substance abuse and family drama, the Roadster may not have been near the top of the billionaire's priority list.
Public Perception and Frustration
By the time Tesla recommitted to the Roadster in April, many had lost hope, and the vehicle's delays had become a pop-cultural joke. High-profile figures, including YouTuber Marques Brownlee and OpenAI's Sam Altman, publicly expressed frustration over their long-held Roadster reservations.
Even with the recent impressive event, Tesla faces the challenge of convincing potential customers that a deposit for the Roadster is a worthwhile investment, given its history of prolonged delays.
