Tesla Teases Oct. 1 Roadster Reveal After Nine-Year Wait

The teaser image, posted on Tesla’s website over the weekend, appears to show a taillight, a large rear spoiler or diffuser, and what looks like a quad-thruster deployment spraying gas. Some news outlets flipped the image and said it more closely resembled an enormous rear spoiler with a rear light and thrusters beneath, a layout that would align with Elon Musk’s claims that the sports car could use SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters as performance enhancers.

Not a Tesla App reported that some key Tesla people, including online influencers, had begun receiving digital invitations. Tesla later confirmed the Waco location. TechRadar reported the event will follow a pattern of theatrical Tesla launches, pointing to the 2024 “We, Robot” event for the Cybercab concept at Warner Bros. Studios in California, where select Cybercabs gave public rides on a purpose-built film set and Optimus robots made drinks and interacted with attendees. Reports later suggested those Optimus robots were tele-operated by humans behind the scenes, and that the Cybercab environment was carefully controlled and previously mapped to reduce problems.

The Roadster is a significant nameplate for Tesla. The original all-electric model, heavily based on a Lotus Elise, served as a proof of concept for the company. Tesla fans and investors rushed to place deposits on the next-generation car when the project was announced in November 2017. At the time, Tesla said it would offer 620 miles of range, a sub-two-second 0-60 mph time and a 250-mph top speed, figures that remained listed on Tesla’s Roadster website, according to Electrek.

A release date for what Tesla called “the quickest car in the world” has been pushed back multiple times. Some early investors said they had backed out because of the wait, including YouTuber Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD. Over the years, Musk has kept interest alive with claims that the Roadster could use SpaceX cold-gas thrusters to achieve high straight-line performance. He also hinted the vehicle could hover or fly, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that entrepreneur Peter Thiel wanted flying cars and that his vision should be realized. Musk later responded to a post on X by saying, “You will get flying cars” in 2026.

TechRadar argued that whatever the Roadster demonstrates next month, it will not be street legal if it involves cold-gas thrusters, leaving fans to wonder whether the general public will be able to buy a Tesla sports car again. The report also said Tesla has not hosted a reveal event for anything that developed into a meaningful passenger vehicle for years. The Cybertruck has been a sales flop, according to TechRadar, and Tesla now offers only two models in its core passenger car lineup. The Model 3 and Model Y remain competitive, but TechRadar said rivals now deliver more range, practicality and technology. The report suggested the public might be more excited by an all-new model they can actually buy, such as the long-rumored $25,000 hatchback or genuine replacements for the Model S and Model X.