What We Know About Tesla's New 'Flying' Roadster Prototype

Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk showed a new Roadster prototype on Thursday that briefly left the ground using thrusters developed with SpaceX, according to NBC News. The demonstration took place at a SpaceX testing facility in Texas, eight years after the vehicle was first announced.

Tesla has not disclosed a price or a confirmed sale date. Musk told the audience that production would not begin until 2028, NBC News reported.

What did Musk show during the demonstration?

The prototype drove up a curved ramp shaped like half of a roller-coaster loop, accelerated, and launched off the end, clearing five other Tesla vehicles before coming down in a cloud of condensation, NBC News reported. Musk told the crowd beforehand that what they were about to witness "was not AI or SI," according to the outlet. After the car landed, he said, "Well, it worked!"

Musk also cautioned that the vehicle is not built primarily for crash protection. "It's not necessarily a safety-optimized car," he said, per NBC News.

How does the Roadster get off the ground?

According to Tesla, described in the NBC News report, the car uses a fan-based suction system that presses the vehicle against the road surface for added downforce during normal driving. For the airborne maneuver, the same system pairs with cold-gas thrusters that Tesla says refill themselves. Musk summarized the downforce mechanism with a one-line joke: "This car really sucks," NBC News reported.

The method Tesla used to validate the jump was a live, outdoor test at a SpaceX site rather than a laboratory trial, and the company has not released telemetry, altitude figures, or landing-force data from the run. NBC News did not report any independent measurement of the stunt beyond Musk's on-stage description.

When will the Roadster go on sale?

Musk said production is not slated to start until 2028, NBC News reported, which would put the car roughly a decade past its original 2017 announcement. Tesla has not released a price, and the outlet noted the company has yet to set a firm release date beyond that production target.

Is the flying feature legal to use on public roads?

No. NBC News reported that the vehicle's airborne capability is not approved for use on public roads. The demonstration took place at a closed SpaceX testing facility rather than on an open highway, and nothing in the available reporting indicates regulators have reviewed the thruster system for street use.

What is still unknown about the vehicle?

Several basic facts remain unreported. Tesla has not stated a retail price, how far or how high the thrusters can propel the car, how many times the cold-gas system can be "self-refilled" before servicing, or what regulatory approvals — if any — would be required even for occasional use of the feature once the car reaches customers. NBC News also did not report crash-test results, weight figures, or range specifications for the prototype shown Thursday.

Roadster timeline

• Original announcement: Tesla first unveiled the next-generation Roadster roughly eight years before this week's demonstration, per NBC News.
• Oct. 16, 2026: Musk shows the flying prototype at a SpaceX facility in Texas.
• 2028: Musk's stated target for production to begin, according to NBC News.

What to watch

• Whether Tesla releases a price or firm delivery date ahead of the 2028 production target.
• Whether any regulator weighs in on the thruster system, which NBC News reported is not approved for public-road use.
• Whether Tesla publishes performance data — altitude, speed, or landing specifications — from Thursday's jump.
• Whether the suction-based downforce system or the cold-gas thrusters appear in any other Tesla or SpaceX vehicle program before the Roadster ships.

The only on-the-record account of the test to date is Musk's own narration during the live demonstration, as relayed by NBC News. No independent engineering assessment of the thruster system or the suction-downforce design has been published.

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