In a controversial statement, executive compares new Roadster to Ferrari models and defines car as the "best of the last" driven by humans
In an interview with the Moonshots podcast this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made an unusual admission for an automotive executive: safety is not the main focus of the new Tesla Roadster. The billionaire was categorical in stating that consumers who place protection as an absolute priority should not purchase the vehicle.
According to Musk, the model was conceived to be “the best of the last human-driven cars”, thought of as a milestone of pure performance before the industry completes the transition to full autonomy. The statement reinforces the positioning of the Roadster as a niche product, focused on breaking physical limits of acceleration.
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To justify the strategy, the executive compared the Roadster to Ferrari’s super sports cars, arguing that the public in this segment seeks prestige and extreme performance, and not necessarily the passive safety attributes of a family sedan. Despite the aggressive tone, Musk stressed that the company maintains the minimum aspiration of “killing no one”, but that the visceral driving experience will be at the forefront, often overlapping with traditional vehicle protection conventions.
The numbers projected for the new Roadster defy current engineering: the promise is an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in around 1.9 seconds (with versions being able to lower that time with cold air propellers) and an estimated range of around 1,000 km (620 miles).
Musk’s remarks, however, come at a time of scrutiny for Tesla. The automaker faces investigations by federal agencies in the United States over the safety of its autonomous driving systems in other models in the lineup, which makes the discursive neglect of the Roadster’s safety all the more remarkable.
