Tesla is preparing to unveil its redesigned next-generation Roadster at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, as early as this month, according to a report from The Information, subsequently cited by Reuters.
The long-delayed electric supercar carries Tesla’s stated targets, set at the car’s 2017 reveal, of a 620-mile range and a 0, 60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, which would make it one of the quickest production vehicles ever built.
Reveal timing and location
On August 14, 2026, The Information reported, citing three people familiar with the plans, that Tesla intends to unveil and demonstrate the next-generation Roadster at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, as early as August 2026.
The choice of venue is deliberate: Tesla plans to show the car at the facility with a stunt where the Roadster lifts off the ground using the thruster package. The car will be operated remotely with nobody inside, and spectators are being kept several hundred yards back because the SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters are loud enough to damage hearing.
On the Jay Leno’s Garage episode released on August 10, 2026, von Holzhausen said the next-generation Roadster is coming “very soon.” He did not give a specific timeline for the debut or share any new details. Tesla has yet to publicly announce an event or provide an official date.
Elon Musk has told staff in recent weeks that the demonstration will be difficult to execute and could go wrong, but that it will be entertaining regardless, according to Electrek, citing unnamed sources. He has also said the car will look very different from what was shown in 2017, and has previously described a planned demonstration as the most exciting product demo ever attempted, referencing years of efforts to incorporate SpaceX-derived thruster technology into the vehicle.
Performance and specification targets
Tesla’s website lists a 0, 60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, 0, 100 mph in 4.2 seconds, a quarter-mile in 8.8 seconds, and wheel torque of 10,000 Nm. These figures date from the car’s November 2017 reveal and have not been confirmed for the production model.
The website also lists a 620-mile range and seating for four, describing the Roadster as the first supercar to set every performance record and still fit seating for four.
The reported unveiling could include a demonstration of a Roadster with cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX. Only a limited number of examples are expected to be built with them. The standard Roadster is still expected to use a conventional all-electric powertrain.
Tesla has not confirmed pricing for the production model. The retail price for the base model at the 2017 reveal was stated as $200,000, while the Founders Series was listed at $250,000.
Tesla unveiled the second-generation Roadster in November 2017, targeting an initial production start of 2020. Now more than six years behind that target, the company has yet to confirm a delivery date for the production model.
Last November, Musk set a demo date of April 1, 2026, a choice he admitted gave him “deniability.” That date moved to “late April,” then to “a month or so” on the Q1 earnings call, and finally to August. Tesla has not said when the car will go on sale, and the company has moved back the Roadster’s unveiling nearly every year since the prototype’s debut.
Production plans and reservation history
Production will take place at Gigafactory Texas, according to Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy, who confirmed the location on the Ride The Lightning Podcast on May 24, 2026.
At Tesla’s November 2025 shareholder meeting, Musk set a demo date of April 1, 2026, with production 12 to 18 months after that, meaning 2027 or 2028 at the earliest.
Reservation holders paid $50,000 to hold a standard model and $250,000 for the Founders Series , and the launch date has slipped again and again in the years since. The Founders Series is limited to the first 1,000 reservations.
At that shareholder meeting, Musk was also asked whether customers who had secured Founders Series reservations in 2017 could be invited to the reveal event.
Market context
While the Model S Plaid was Tesla’s ultimate performance car, the Roadster is intended to surpass it and become the brand’s flagship.
If it reaches production at the stated range figure, it would arrive in a market where mainstream electric crossovers now reach 303 miles for under $30,000, underscoring just how far the segment has moved since Tesla’s original Roadster helped establish it.
The timing of the reveal also comes as Tesla’s broader EV business faces financial scrutiny. Tesla posted a sharp drop in profitability in its most recent quarter, with GAAP operating income falling 57% year over year to $398 million as capital expenditures jumped 142% to $5.79 billion. Tesla shares are down 26% year to date in 2026. The announcement of a halo car at this juncture carries significant marketing weight regardless of near-term production volumes.
Tesla has confirmed none of the reported details ahead of the expected McGregor event.
