Tesla will livestream the unveiling of its second-generation Roadster on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7:55 p.m. Central time, which is 8:55 p.m. Eastern and 5:55 p.m. Pacific. The company announced the stream in a one-line post on X: "Roadster event streaming live this Thursday at 7:55pm CST." It is the first time Tesla has said the show would be broadcast.
The event arrives two weeks late and nearly nine years after Tesla first showed the car. The reveal was originally set for Oct. 1 in Waco, Texas. On Sept. 28, Tesla called it off, citing severe weather in the forecast and saying in a post on X that the event "can only be held outdoors." Elon Musk later blamed high winds, according to Teslarati.
What Tesla has said about the car so far
Not much that is new. The Roadster page on tesla.com now shows a countdown clock, a dark teaser image of the car's tail with jets of vapor rising above it, and a Reserve Now button. There are no specifications or prices on the page. The only official numbers are still the ones Tesla gave when it introduced the prototype in November 2017.
Tesla's 2017 Roadster claims
| Item | 2017 figure |
|---|---|
| 0-60 mph | 1.9 seconds (base car) |
| Top speed | Above 250 mph |
| Range | 620 miles |
| Base price | $200,000 |
| Founders Series | $250,000, 1,000 cars |
| Original reservation | $50,000 |
Sources: Electrek, TechCrunch, Teslarati. Tesla has not confirmed whether any of these figures still apply.
Musk has since promised more. He has claimed 0-60 mph in under one second using cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX, which is the reason the demonstration has to happen outside. Electrek reports that the planned demo has been scaled back from flying to a short hover and that the show car is said to be remote-operated and not street-legal. Tesla has not confirmed either point. Teaser images also suggest the production design will differ from the curvy 2017 prototype.
Nine years of moving dates
The Roadster was first shown at Tesla's Semi event in 2017 with production promised for 2020. That target slipped to 2021, 2022 and 2023. In May 2023, Musk said production would "hopefully" start in 2024, adding, "this is not a commitment." By November 2025, the production estimate had moved to 2027 or 2028, Electrek reported. The unveiling itself was pushed from late 2025 to April 1, 2026, then through several more dates before landing on Oct. 15.
Reservations reopened last month, according to Teslarati: $5,000 by card, followed by a $45,000 wire transfer within 10 days, with the deposit refundable. Some 2017 buyers have had money down for years. Electrek's Fred Lambert, who holds two Roadster reservations earned through Tesla's referral program, wrote that he wants to see a production car, a real price, a production start date and a clear answer for those early reservation holders.
What to watch for Thursday night
Teslarati reports that the presentation is expected to cover pricing, specifications and production targets. Those three details will matter more to buyers than any hover. A firm price would show whether the $200,000 base figure from 2017 has survived, and a production date would tell reservation holders how much longer they will wait. Teslarati expects production at Gigafactory Texas, but Tesla has not announced a plant or a date. Musk has previously said the car could take a year or more to reach production after its reveal, TechCrunch reported.
The reveal also lands six days before Tesla reports third-quarter results on Oct. 21. For most Tesla shoppers, those results and the Model 3 and Model Y lineup will matter more than a six-figure sports car, but Thursday is the first real test of whether the Roadster is close to becoming a product.
