Thursday evening, Tesla chief Elon Musk unveiled a car capable, he claimed, of flying, in a spectacular sequence reminiscent of a science-fiction film but without detailing its future commercialization.
This avant-garde two-seat “Roadster” is equipped with thrusters inspired by SpaceX rocket engines, the billionaire’s other iconic company.
The presentation event, streamed live online, took place at a SpaceX test site in Texas, near the city of Waco, in front of a gathering of invitees.
In a moment of high aerobatics, the vehicle lifted off from a launch ramp, performing a full barrel roll in the air before landing safely on its wheels thanks to its retro-thrusters.
For the occasion, the two-seat sports car, “better than a James Bond car”, was unmanned “to ensure no one would be killed”, joked Elon Musk.
For this spectacular aerial maneuver, the car flew over several of the brand’s models, according to a video already viewed millions of times and disseminated by Tesla on its X account, Elon Musk’s social network born from his purchase of Twitter four years ago.
“Basically, it can fly like a rocket,” commented the founder of Tesla, while conceding: “This is not necessarily a car optimized for safety.”
The new “Roadster” features ten nozzles and is capable, according to its designers, of reaching 0-100 km/h in less than a second, then a top speed of 370 km/h.
Factory production of the car will begin in 2028, Musk assured, even though the businessman is known for announcing release dates for his Tesla or SpaceX products that end up being several years late.
This unveiling of the new “Roadster”, postponed many times, had been awaited for at least nine years.
“Success is not guaranteed but the excitement is,” acknowledged the Tesla boss. “It turns out the future will be built with flying cars,” he added.
Finally, note that on Tesla’s website, interested customers can reserve a Roadster model “Performance” by paying $50,000 or a model “Thrust”, with boosted thrusters, for $250,000. The final sale price has not been disclosed.
