What Tesla’s Flying Roadster Debut Means for Buyers and the Wait Ahead

Tesla unveiled its long-awaited Roadster on Thursday in a livestreamed event that included a midair flip. For people thinking about buying one, the key facts are that production is not expected to start until 2028 and that reservation payments on Tesla's website range from $50,000 to $250,000, according to Fox Business.

The company did not give a final price at the event, Fox Business reported. Musk called the car proof that "flying cars are real," though he also said its success is not guaranteed.

What Tesla showed on stage

The event took place at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, according to Fox Business. CBS News reported that the car launched from a ramp that curled over, leaving the vehicle upside down. The car appeared to cling to the surface before flying off the end, then rotated 180 degrees in the air and landed on its wheels.

Fox Business said a fan-based suction system held the car to the ramp, and cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX launched it off the end. In a second demonstration, the Roadster flipped over a row of cars and a semi-truck and landed safely on the other side. Reports differ slightly on the propulsion description: Musk said the car used "ultra high-pressure air tanks," according to CBS News, while Fox Business described compressed-air thrusters.

Musk said certain versions can go from zero to 60 mph in less than one second and reach a top speed of more than 230 mph, Fox Business reported. Tesla demonstrated a run to 60 mph in under a second during the event.

What it means for would-be buyers

Reservations are the first step. After the event, Tesla's reservation page listed a $50,000 payment for the "Performance" version and a $250,000 payment for the "Thrust" version, which includes "acceleration thrusters," according to Fox Business. An invite-only "Rocket" variant is a single-seat model with a "full flight system." No reservation amount was listed for that version in the report.

The final cost of each version remains unclear. Tesla executives did not outline pricing on Thursday. Nearly a decade ago, Fox Business noted, the company quoted a base price of $200,000.

The timeline is also long. Musk said the car would go into production in 2028, according to CBS News. When Tesla showed a prototype in 2017, it said deliveries would start in 2020, Fox Business noted.

The company's performance claims

Tesla said on X that every car on the road is limited by tire grip, and that the Roadster's thruster system produces 4–5x the force the tires can. The company argued that more force on the same mass means much better acceleration. Tesla also described the Roadster as the best of the last human-driven cars. These are the company's own claims, and the sources do not report independent testing.

Why it matters beyond the car

The Roadster is a high-end, low-volume product, so its most direct effect is on a small group of buyers willing to place large reservation payments years before delivery. It also shows how closely Tesla and SpaceX are now working together. Musk described the car as the result of a collaboration between "the world's best car company and the world's best rocket company," CBS News reported.

CBS News noted that technical and regulatory challenges have so far kept the flying car sector from taking off. It said Glenn Curtiss showed the first flying car prototype in 1917, and that successful designs have been taken more seriously only in recent years as electric motors and batteries have improved. The sources do not say whether regulators have reviewed any flight features of the Roadster, and the Thursday demonstrations were staged on a ramp rather than in open air.

What comes next

The next milestone Tesla has named is the start of production in 2028. Details such as final pricing for each version have not been disclosed.

Sources: Fox Business, CBS News