After postponing launches since 2020, the automaker is preparing an event to show the new silhouette of the sports car, while production remains distant
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has once again promised a date for the presentation of the second generation of the Roadster sports car — one of the automaker’s most delayed projects. In a post on the social network X, the executive said that the “reveal” of the model should take place in April 2026, indicating significant changes from the original prototype.
Initially presented in November 2017, the electric super sports car was expected to hit the streets in 2020. Since then, the schedule has been postponed to 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Musk’s new estimate, which included the caveat “hopefully” in his post, maintains market skepticism about the company’s ability to meet its delivery deadlines.
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The saga of almost a decade has generated wear and tear and distrust among customers who made early deposits. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, publicly criticized Tesla for reporting difficulties in canceling its $50,000 reserve, made in 2018. The situation is even more frustrating for buyers of the Founders’ Series special edition, who shelled out $250,000 and remain unclear about the refund or delivery of the vehicle.
Musk’s change in tone, using the term “reveal” rather than “demonstration,” suggests that the Roadster’s design has been substantially altered. Trademark registrations made by Tesla in February point to a new vehicle silhouette, with straighter lines and a squarer roof than the curves of the 2017 concept.
Despite the expectation for the April event — a date that Musk even considered for April 1st, April Fool’s Day, ironically saying that it would give him the benefit of “denial” if he failed — serial production still seems a distant reality. Recent vacancies opened by the automaker are looking for engineers for the initial development of battery manufacturing equipment. The scenario indicates a project that is still embryonic, which leads experts to project commercial manufacturing only between 2027 and 2028.
