Author: FFP Ai Bot

MCGREGOR, Texas — Elon Musk has talked for years about putting rocket thrusters on a Tesla sports car. On Thursday, Oct. 15, he showed one in action. What he showed, and what is still only promised, are two different things.

What was actually demonstrated

At a SpaceX rocket test site in McGregor, near Waco, Tesla unveiled a redesigned second-generation Roadster in an event livestreamed on Tesla’s X account. In the demonstration, a white two-seat prototype drove up a ramp that curled over so the car was upside down, clinging to the surface with a suction system, then flew off the end, rolled 180 degrees in the air and landed on its wheels, CBS News and Reuters reported. Later, it used its thrusters to jump over a line of Tesla vehicles, including a Cybertruck and a Tesla Semi, twisting in the air, according to Reuters and Fortune.

No one was driving. Fortune reported that the seat held a mannequin in a SpaceX spacesuit, and the Guardian reported that Musk said the car was controlled remotely “to make sure we don’t kill anyone.”

Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said the thrusters run on about 600 liters of rechargeable compressed air, Fortune reported. Musk described “ultra high-pressure air tanks” that propel the car, according to CBS.

Fortune noted the airborne moments were a prototype demonstration, not a test of a production vehicle: the car performed brief aerial maneuvers, not sustained flight, and Tesla has not said how long or how far it can stay in the air.

Video: “Roadster Event,” Tesla’s official livestream of the Oct. 15, 2026, unveiling, posted by Tesla on YouTube.

What Musk said

“Flying cars are real,” Musk said at the event. “It’s got altitude controls, thrusters and main thrusters in the rear. So it can basically fly like a rocket, it can do rolls, crazy gymnastics,” he said, according to the Guardian. He also said the car’s “success is not guaranteed” but “it will probably work,” CBS reported.

He was frank about the risks. “I’m not sure it’s necessarily legal in all jurisdictions,” Musk said, adding that the prototype was “not necessarily a safety optimised car but it takes the fun meter to 11,” according to the Guardian. Afterward he posted on X: “Turns out the future does have flying cars.”

What is still a promise

• Production: Tesla says it will begin in 2028, Reuters reported. When the second-generation Roadster was first shown in November 2017, deliveries were promised for 2020.
• Specs: Moravy said the car can reach 60 mph in less than one second and top 230 mph, with more than 300 miles of range. The 2017 version promised 620 miles, four seats and 0-to-60 in 1.9 seconds, Fortune reported.
• Price: No prices were announced. Tesla quoted a $200,000 base price nearly a decade ago.
• Versions: Tesla’s reservation page lists a “Performance” model, a “Thrust” model with acceleration thrusters, and an invitation-only, single-seat “Rocket” model with a “full flight system,” according to Reuters and Fortune. Only the Rocket is described as able to briefly take flight.
• Deposits: Reuters and Fortune reported deposits of $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust. CBS reported a $5,000 deposit for a non-flying model and said Thrust could not yet be reserved, so buyers should check Tesla’s site directly.
• Road use: Tesla’s website says the flying Rocket version is not approved for public road use.

Who regulates a car that hops?

That is not clear. The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News and Politico that the vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft, which means the FAA would not certify it as airworthy. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration oversees vehicle safety but largely relies on automakers to certify that their cars meet federal standards, and the Transportation Department said NHTSA “will continue to monitor the situation,” Fortune reported. A senior Transportation Department official expressed some skepticism to CBS News that the vehicle will actually be able to take off.

The skeptics

“It was an engineering flex with no commercial value beyond embarrassing traditional car makers,” Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management, a Tesla investor, posted on X, according to Reuters. Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives wrote that the Roadster “will not move the volume or revenue needle” and that investors should not model it as a growth driver, though he said it restores Tesla’s brand halo, CBS reported. Musk himself called the Roadster a “small potato situation” financially in 2023, Reuters noted.

Analysts say Tesla’s third-quarter results, due Oct. 21, matter far more to investors. “The margin and cash flow numbers will carry far more weight with investors than anything they saw at the reveal,” eToro analyst Josh Gilbert told Reuters.

Musk’s own view of flying cars has changed. He was skeptical of them in 2014, the Guardian noted. Flying cars themselves are not new: aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss showed a flying car prototype in 1917, CBS reported.

Video: “Elon Musk unveils Tesla’s new Roadster, and it can fly,” posted by ABC News on YouTube.

#Tesla #Roadster #ElonMusk #FlyingCar

Sources

• Reuters via Investing.com: Tesla’s new Roadster turns in air with SpaceX thrusters, won’t land until 2028 (Oct. 15-16, 2026) – https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/tesla-set-to-unveil-next-generation-roadster-sports-ev-after-years-of-delay-4951021
• The Guardian: Elon Musk reveals ’world’s first flying car’ at Tesla event (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/16/elon-musk-reveals-worlds-first-flying-car-spacex
• CBS News: With Tesla Roadster debut, Elon Musk shows ’flying cars are real’ (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-roadster-debut-elon-musk-flying-cars-are-real/
• CBS News: We asked the DOT who would oversee a flying car like Tesla’s Roadster – https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-roadster-dot-flying-car/
• Fortune: Tesla is taking $250k deposits for Roadster with SpaceX thrusters. The FAA says it’s not an aircraft (Oct. 17, 2026) – https://fortune.com/2026/10/17/tesla-flying-roadster-spacex-thrusters-2028-production-price/
• Politico: FAA, Musk’s flying car not our responsibility (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/16/faa-tesla-flying-car-01123316
• Federal Aviation Administration – https://www.faa.gov/
• YouTube, Tesla: Roadster Event (official livestream) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt5p-_tE8d0
• YouTube, ABC News: Elon Musk unveils Tesla’s new Roadster, and it can fly – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYWy6SyJRZo