Tesla Roadster: Musk makes the sports car lift off – and announces production start

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Elon Musk has presented the new Tesla Roadster – and in a show, actually let the electric car briefly lift off. Instead of a classic sports car, there's suddenly a car with rocket propulsion on stage, and Musk himself says: This is supposed to be the last Tesla model that still needs a driver. If you're a Tesla fan, you've been waiting for this car for almost a decade – now there is at least a date for production start.

The surprise of the presentation was the small cold-gas thrusters built into the rear of the Roadster. Such thrusters are familiar from satellite steering nozzles and rockets. In the car, they are supposed to be able to briefly lift the vehicle into the air – according to Handelsblatt, "for a few seconds." How much thrust, how much altitude, and whether street driving is also possible with them, Musk left open.

Manager Magazin therefore describes the event as a full-blown flying show. Both sources – Handelsblatt and Manager Magazin – agree that Musk doesn't want to show just an ordinary electric car with the new Roadster, but rather a glimpse of the end of the self-driving era – from his own hand.

Why the new Roadster took so long

Tesla had announced a successor to the first Roadster years ago, postponed it again and again, and repeatedly teased it briefly in presentations along the way. For many die-hard fans, the car had long become a running joke: announced big, never delivered. The fact that a production start is now suddenly being suggested sends a different signal to loyal Tesla customers than the usual Musk show.

The fact that it's coming now and lifting off at the same time fits Musk's long-running narrative: Tesla's first Roadster generation showed back then that an electric car can be fun. With the new model, Musk evidently wants to show what happens when electric drive and rocket technology come together – an answer to anyone who now sees Tesla as nothing more than a staid mass-market manufacturer.

What's confirmed so far – and what's not

What both sources report in agreement: The new Roadster comes standard with cold-gas thrusters, is supposed to be the last self-driven Tesla model, and Musk announced a production start in the presentation. What remains open: range, price, specific market launch – and above all, what the show stunt will have to do with the later production model.

For you, this means: if you want to reserve a new Roadster, you should keep an eye on the official Tesla page – and stay skeptical until a delivery date actually appears on a contract. At Tesla, big things have often been announced, and rarely delivered on time.