Tesla Sets October 1 Reveal for Next-Generation Roadster

AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla has finally put a date on the calendar for its most anticipated reveal in years. Over the weekend the company posted an image on X of the Roadster bathed in launch-pad lighting, stamped with the date "10.01" and the caption "Go for launch." A countdown clock on Tesla's Roadster order page now ticks down to the same day, and CEO Elon Musk followed up with a simple confirmation: "New Tesla Roadster Unveil 10.01."

The tease ends nearly nine years of anticipation for a car that has become shorthand for Tesla's biggest ambitions. It also arrives during one of the busiest stretches in company history, coming right on the heels of the Cybercab rollout that has dominated headlines and pushed Tesla's autonomy story forward, a program covered in detail in Tesla's federal safety certification push for the Cybercab.

A nine-year wait nears its end

Musk first showed the second-generation Roadster in November 2017 as a surprise at the close of the Tesla Semi event, promising a sub-two-second 0-to-60 mph time, a top speed above 250 mph, and more than 600 miles of range from a 200 kWh battery. Deliveries were originally slated for 2020. The timeline slipped repeatedly, and the car became something of an inside joke even among fans.

According to reporting from TechCrunch, the 2017 design was ultimately abandoned in favor of a new, yet-to-be-revealed version. Tesla has since sent formal invitations to reservation holders confirming the event will take place in Waco, Texas, about 90 minutes north of its Austin headquarters and close to SpaceX's McGregor rocket test site. The invite sets the reveal for 8:30 p.m. Eastern on October 1 and asks for RSVPs by September 16.

The SpaceX package returns

The graphic Tesla shared appears to hint at the long-promised cold gas thruster system developed with SpaceX. Internally code-named A71, a nod to the SR-71 Blackbird, the package reportedly uses thrusters fed by a composite overwrapped pressure vessel, the same tank design SpaceX flies on Falcon 9. Musk has said a thruster-equipped Roadster could reach 60 mph in roughly 1.1 seconds, and has repeatedly teased that the car might briefly lift off the road.

The standard Roadster is still expected to carry its original $200,000 base price, with a $250,000 Founders Series tier. Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy has confirmed production will happen at Gigafactory Texas, the same manufacturing muscle Tesla is scaling across its lineup, from Cybercab to the newly inaugurated Nevada Semi factory.

What to watch on October 1

Musk has acknowledged that even after the reveal, production likely will not begin for another 12 to 18 months, putting realistic deliveries in 2027 or 2028. But for a company increasingly defined by autonomy, energy, and robotics, the Roadster is a reminder of Tesla's original promise: that electric cars could be the most thrilling machines on the road. On October 1, that promise finally gets its moment.