By William Gavin
The unveiling of Tesla's long-delayed Roadster has now been pushed back to 'probably' late April
The original Tesla Roadster was the company's first electric vehicle, and the updated version could be its last one designed for a human driver.
The debut of Elon Musk's heavily hyped and much-delayed electric sports car, said to be equipped with &#34;small rocket thrusters,&#34; may be pushed back - again.
Tesla (TSLA) in late 2017 announced it would introduce a revamped version of the Roadster, its first electric vehicle, with production scheduled to begin a few years later. But the launch of the updated sports car has been repeatedly delayed over the years, most recently on Tuesday, which is also the 18th anniversary of the original Roadster entering regular production.
In a social-media post, Musk said the new Roadster will &#34;probably&#34; be unveiled in late April. Last November, the Tesla CEO pushed back the unveiling to April 1 after executives had said for months that the company planned to show off the car by the end of 2025.
The Roadster &#34;will be the most exciting, whether it works or not, demo ever of any product,&#34; Musk said at Tesla's annual shareholder meeting last November, according to a transcript.
Although not much has been seen of the Roadster since its 2017 introduction, Tesla executives have repeatedly hyped up the car, which Musk has said is a collaboration with SpaceX, one of his other companies. He has said the car could come equipped with a &#34;SpaceX option package&#34; with 10 &#34;small rocket thrusters&#34; that may even allow the car to fly.
Tesla is aiming to make the Roadster capable of going from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in less than a second, Musk said in 2024. If achieved, that would be a monumental feat. General Motors (GM) in January said the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X was the quickest U.S.-produced car on the market, able to reach 60 mph in 1.68 seconds.
&#34;I am excited to just showcase the new Roadster for a lot of different reasons. And I think the wait will be worth it,&#34; Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, said on a podcast last year, noting that Tesla plans to begin sales within two years of a product demo.
The new Roadster will be expensive. Tesla in 2017 said it would cost $200,000 and required a $50,000 deposit from customers to reserve their spot in line, while asking buyers for $250,000 up front for a limited-edition Founders model. Some customers have sought out refunds on their reservations, including OpenAI's Sam Altman, who is fighting Musk in court.
From the archives (November 2017): Want the new Tesla Roadster in 2020? Prepare to pay Tesla $250,000 now.
If the Roadster does get its reveal next month, the vehicle would likely go into production nearly a decade after it was first announced. Tesla had originally targeted sales to begin in 2020 but delayed production, pointing to pandemic-related supply-chain issues.
In 2021, Musk said the Roadster would ship in 2023, as long as there was no &#34;mega drama&#34; in 2022. In early 2024, he said Tesla would aim to ship the Roadster in 2025. Last year, he said Tesla would aim to have a Roadster demo by the end of 2025, but that timeline was also pushed back.
Now the Roadster may be Tesla's last-ever vehicle designed to have a human driver at the wheel.
&#34;Really the only vehicles that we'll make will be autonomous vehicles with the exception of the next-generation Roadster, which we're hoping to debut in April, hopefully,&#34; Musk told investors in January, speaking about Tesla's long-term plans. &#34;It's going to be something out of this world.&#34;
Tesla also plans to begin volume production of its designated robotaxi vehicle next month. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed modifying two federal vehicle-safety rules to accommodate Tesla and other companies developing robotaxis.
Tesla plans to stop making its premium Model S and Model X vehicles later this year, discontinuing the oldest of its EV models that are still being delivered to customers. The company plans to use that production capacity to build humanoid robots.
Tesla said it should be ready to unveil its latest humanoid robot, the third-generation Optimus, by the end of March and begin production over the summer. Last week, Musk said Tesla is in the &#34;final stages of completion&#34; on the robot, which he claimed will be &#34;by far the most advanced&#34; in the world.
The company also plans to begin volume production of an electric semi-trailer truck and to continue making Model Y and Model 3 vehicles.
Read: Now that SpaceX and xAI have merged, is Tesla next?
-William Gavin
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
03-17-26 1026ET

TSLA

TESL

Tesla's unveiling of the long-delayed Roadster has been postponed to late April. Originally announced in 2017, the revamped sports car has faced multiple delays, with production now expected nearly a decade after its initial announcement. CEO Elon Musk has teased features like "small rocket thrusters" and aims for the car to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under a second. The Roadster is projected to cost $200,000, with a $50,000 deposit required. Tesla plans to discontinue its Model S and Model X vehicles to focus on new projects, including humanoid robots and robotaxis.

- Tesla has postponed the unveiling of its updated Roadster to "probably" late April, with production facing delays since its 2017 announcement.  
- The new Roadster is expected to feature SpaceX collaboration elements, potentially including rocket thrusters and the ambition to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under a second, a feat surpassing competitors like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X.  
- The Roadster may be Tesla's final vehicle designed for human drivers as the company shifts focus towards autonomous models, with plans to unveil a humanoid robot and discontinue some existing vehicle models.

Tesla investors may have to wait even longer for a rocket-powered sports car