Tesla is expected to reveal its second-generation Roadster on Thursday, according to Axios, capping years of delay since the car first appeared as a prototype in November 2017.
Tesla had originally promised production by 2020, but the company's latest annual filing still listed the Roadster as being in "design development" with no production timetable.
The 2026 reveal itself has slipped repeatedly: a planned April 1 unveiling gave way to an October 1 target, then October 15 after delays and bad weather.
Musk's teasers have shown a more angular, "Cyber"-influenced design with SpaceX-derived cold-gas thrusters mounted at the rear, the feature behind his years of claims that the car could briefly lift off the ground; he first floated a SpaceX-derived thruster package in 2018 and said in 2024 that "the new Tesla Roadster can fly."
Musk has claimed the production car could hit 0-60 mph in under two seconds using conventional propulsion, and in under one second with the thruster package engaged.
The debut arrives as Tesla navigates a strained financial picture: second-quarter revenue rose 25.5% year-on-year to $28.24 billion on record deliveries of 480,126 vehicles, but operating margin fell to 1.4% and free cash flow was negative $1.09 billion.
Whether the thruster-assisted "flying" feature, or the Roadster itself, reaches certified mass production remains the open question Thursday's reveal is unlikely to settle.
