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Tesla CEO Elon Musk launched the next-generation Roadster at a livestreamed event Thursday night, demonstrating what he described as a flying car capable of performing aerial manoeuvres.
The demonstration took place at a Texas test facility belonging to SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company.
In a spectacular sequence, the Roadster traveled up a huge curved ramp until it was upside down, then flew off, flipped, and landed safely on the ground using thrusters attached to the underside.
“Well, it worked,” Musk said after the successful landing.
“Flying cars are real,” added Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering.
https://t.co/KBWjjWknXe
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2026
SpaceX collaboration
Musk described the vehicle as a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers.
The car uses what he called an “advanced ultra-high-pressure air tank” along with cold-gas thrusters to lift itself.
“The car has obviously altitude control thrusters and main thrusters in the rear, so it can basically fly like a rocket, and it could do rolls,” Musk said.
The demonstration showed the Roadster leaping over a line of parked Tesla vehicles and then accelerating to 60 mph in under one second, at .81 seconds.
Tesla’s website lists three configurations: Performance, Thrust, and Rocket.
The Rocket version is described as “air ready with seating for one” and features a multi-mode suction system paired with cold-gas thrusters positioned around the vehicle’s perimeter.
According to Tesla, the Rocket version can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 0.59 seconds, with a top speed above 230 mph and a range exceeding 300 miles.
The company notes the car is not approved for public road use, and the Rocket variant is available by invitation only.
Musk said the Roadster will enter production in 2028.
He also said the vehicle is “not necessarily a safety-optimised car,” adding that it “takes the fun meter to 11”.
