Shocking news: The Tesla Roadster has been delayed again. The Roadster debuted as a concept in 2017, and CEO Elon Musk said it would be on the road by 2020. After those plans were pushed back, Musk said deliveries would begin in 2024. But that didn’t happen either.
If you’ve looked at a calendar recently, you’ll notice that it’s already October—and there hasn’t been any progress in getting the electric supercar on the road. Musk made matters worse by confirming in a recent shareholders meeting that the new Roadster has been delayed—again.
“I’d certainly like to thank our long-suffering deposit holders of the Tesla Roadster,” said Musk. “The reason it hasn’t come out yet is because the Roadster is not just the icing on the cake, it’s the cherry on the icing on the cake.”
“We’d all love to work on the next-gen Tesla Roadster,” he continued. “It is super fun, and we are working on it—but it has to come behind the things that have a more serious impact on the good of the world.”
Musk wouldn’t go so far as to confirm a production date, but in a previous earnings call in July, he did say that Roadster production was still on track for 2025. Although, it sounds like it may be delayed even further given this recent news.
Details on what the production Roadster might look like are pretty slim. We expect the styling to be similar to the 2017 concept, although the brand’s recent “Cyber” design language means the final design could change. Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) in February that the company “radically increased the design goals” and that the final design would be shown next year.
In terms of performance, the initial concept promised upwards of 1,000 horsepower from a quad motor setup. But Musk said in February that the new Roadster could be even quicker, hitting 60 miles per hour in less than one second with the optional SpaceX package.
But this is all just speculation at this point. We won’t know any official details on the new Tesla Roadster until it actually hits the roads—which, hopefully, happens sooner than later.
13 Photos