Elon Musk shows 'flying car': Tesla Roadster 2 lifts off with SpaceX engines

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Elon Musk demonstrated a vehicle at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, that first drives and then takes off. At the demonstration on Thursday, the tech billionaire unveiled the Tesla Roadster 2, which he called the "world's first flying car." The centerpiece of the show: the vehicle drove up a curved ramp, held itself upside down using suction, then ignited SpaceX engines, performed a flip in the air, and landed in a controlled manner. This is not a classic car premiere – this is staging straight from rocket testing operations.

What Musk actually showed in Texas

The demonstration ran in several phases. First, the Roadster 2 drove up the ramp – classic, on four wheels. Then the vehicle gripped with suction and continued driving upside down before the engines ignited. A video of the event shows the car then taking off, performing a flip, and landing. Musk stressed that the whole thing was remotely controlled – "to make sure we don't kill anyone."

In a second phase, the Roadster 2 jumped over a series of existing Tesla models using its jets, according to The Guardian, and then accelerated to record values. For acceleration, the manufacturer is touting a bold number: the sports car is said to be able to sprint from 0 to 60 mph (around 97 km/h) in less than one second – which would be, if confirmed, a record for production vehicles.

Basically fly like a rocket.

Rocket technology instead of a classic drivetrain

The origin of the technology is remarkable: for flight capability, Musk is not relying on a conventional drivetrain, but on engines from the SpaceX rocket program. The vehicle has altitude control, steering thrusters, and main engines in the rear, Musk said at the event. It can perform "rolls, crazy gymnastics."

The boundary between carmaker and rocket builder is thus blurring further. What Musk left open at the demonstration: concrete technical data on flight altitude, flight duration, battery capacity with engines active, or safety systems. Asked about legality, he himself gave the telling hint: "I'm not sure if this is legal in all jurisdictions." He called the prototype "not necessarily a safety-optimized car, but it turns the fun dial to 11."

Price, variants, and a 2028 production start

Anyone interested in a Roadster 2 needs patience and money. According to The Guardian, the vehicle is slated to go into production in 2028 and cost more than $200,000 (around £150,000). On the reservation page, which was online after the event, three variants were listed: a "Performance" version with a £50,000 deposit, a "Thrust" version with a $250,000 deposit – and a single-seat "Rocket" variant with a full flight system, which according to Tesla is available by invitation only. The Roadster 2 is designed as a two-seater.

Anyone expecting a production car with road approval here is put in their place by Tesla itself: the company pointed out that flying on public roads is not permitted.

Musk's about-face – from skepticism to his own flying car announcement

In 2014, Musk had publicly expressed skepticism about a future with flying vehicles. Just three years later, in 2017, he announced the development of the Roadster 2 – with the goal of building an electric sports car that delivers "a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars." On his social media service X, he wrote after the demonstration: "Turns out the future does have flying cars." A sentence that puts into perspective how far marketing and independently verifiable technology can diverge here.

What actually ends up on the table

Let's note what the source actually proves: a "world premiere" moment staged by the manufacturer itself, a demonstration video with a ramp, suction technology, and rocket engines, a record claim about acceleration, a price and variant list with deposits, a 2028 production horizon – and the promise that the vehicle should be able to fly "like a rocket."

What the demonstration does not deliver: independent confirmation of the flight characteristics, solid range and safety data, a production start with concrete unit planning, and a regulatory outlook. Whether the promised record values hold up under real conditions is also open. The self-designation "world's first flying car" thus remains up in the air for now – until someone else verifies it.