New Delhi: Elon Musk has unveiled the next-generation Tesla Roadster. It is an electric sports car with thrusters developed in collaboration with his aerospace company, SpaceX. A video of the demonstration shows the car performing mid-air flips and briefly flying over a line of parked Tesla vehicles.
Sharing a video of the demonstration on X, Musk wrote: “Turns out the future does have flying cars.”
The unveiling took place on 15 October at SpaceX’s headquarters in Texas. Nearly nine years after Tesla first announced the Roadster in 2017, the iconic design returns redesigned.
It showed how far the technology developed by Tesla and SpaceX has come. The demonstration further proved how high-pressure compressed-air thrusters with a fan-based suction system work.
The thrusters help the vehicle lift off and adjust its position in the air, while the suction system allows it to maintain contact with a surface during the upside-down driving demonstration.
Tesla also highlighted the Roadster’s acceleration and claims it can go from zero to 60 miles per hour (about 97 kmph) in less than a second.
But the latest demonstration doesn’t mean flying cars are ready for everyday use.
The company has set 2028 as the production target, despite repeated delays. Even the Roadster’s road legality and practical application remain to be tested.
Founder Musk, however, described the vehicle as a technological showcase rather than a major revenue driver for Tesla, which has increasingly focused on autonomous driving technology and robotics.
For Indian automobile enthusiasts, the Roadster represents an ambitious experiment at the intersection of electric mobility and aerospace engineering. Its eventual availability, pricing and regulatory status in India remain unclear.
Responding to Musk’s tweet, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared his excitement for the flying car.
“The FSD version of this will be something:) congrats,” he wrote, referring to the full self-driving feature of a Tesla car.
Musk responded to his comment, saying that it was an “honour working with incredible engineers.”
Other comments following Musk’s announcement range from excitement to dread for car insurance underwriters.
Some users shared pics of car accidents, hinting that should such a car exist, they’ll soon be flying into billboards. Others still thanked Musk for keeping his promise of bringing flying cars.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)