Overview
- Tesla showed the reworked Roadster at SpaceX test facilities in Texas in a live event on Thursday that included ramp launches, aerial flips and controlled landings using thrusters.
- The company released aggressive, company‑sourced specs including a 0–60 mph time of about 0.81 seconds, a top speed above 370 km/h and roughly 480 km of range, and announced three trims: Performance, Thrust and the invitation‑only Rocket.
- Tesla said the maneuvers rely on SpaceX‑derived systems: ten cold‑gas thrusters, high‑pressure air tanks and a multimode underbody suction system to generate downforce and brief lift.
- Tesla and Elon Musk cautioned the Roadster remains experimental, the demos were driverless for safety, and independent verification, homologation and clear rules for any flight‑capable variant are still unresolved.
- The event is a strategic attempt to rekindle interest in Tesla as sales have slipped, but analysts say high cost, narrow market demand and regulatory hurdles make broad commercial success uncertain and will determine whether SpaceX tech moves from showpiece to road use.