Tesla has never been good at getting products to market as promised, but even by that standard, it’s taken seemingly forever to get the second generation Roadster into showrooms. Now, seven years after the debut of the prototype 2-seater, CEO Elon Musk says it will “probably” arrive next month. The question, at this point, is whether anyone cares. More from Headlight.News.
It was the car that put a quirky little start-up on the map. The original Tesla Roadster didn’t sell in large numbers but its launch in February 2008 planted a flag in the ground and set the stage for products like the Models S and X which quickly transformed the company into the world’s best-selling EV manufacturer.
The electric 2-seater went out of production in 2012 dues to regulatory changes and component shortages – but it never seemed far off CEO Elon Musk’s radar. The mega-billionaire even launched his personal Roadster into outer space in February 2018 atop a SpaceX rocket. That helped highlight the planned launch of a second-generation Roadster which Musk promised would have “alien technology,” capable of humbling even brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Tesla, of course, has a long history of missing the mark when it comes to actually putting products into its showrooms. First revealed in prototype form in November 2017, the second-generation Roadster has been subject to a seemingly endless series of delays. But now, more than eight years after that splashy unveiling, Musk suggested in a post on his social media site X that the production version will be unveiled next month. “Probably.”
The “most memorable product unveil ever”
The 2017 rollout of a Roadster prototype had all the hype and bluster we’ve come to expect from Tesla.
The Roadster was the first vehicle produced by Tesla.
“The new Tesla Roadster will be the fastest production car ever made. Period,” the South African-born entrepreneur declared from a stage set up at SpaceX. “The purpose of this is to give a hardcore smackdown to the gasoline car.” Musk never missed an opportunity to hype the gen-2 Roadster’s planned capabilities, suggesting it had “alien technology,” and, at one point even hinting Tesla might offer an optional rocket assist system, using 10 thrusters developed for SpaceX rockets.
Could it fly? “Certainly possible,” he suggested. “Just a matter of safety. Rocket tech applied to a car opens up revolutionary possibilities.”
Initial plans called for the gen-2 Roadster to feature a 200 kWh battery pack – quite a feat considering that would be twice the capacity of the largest pack ever offered in the big Model X SUV. Drive easy and it would deliver 620 miles of range. Push the limits and, even without rocket boosters, Musk promised, the new three-motor version of the Roadster would be able to launch from 0 to 60 in less than 1 second, with a top speed of 250 mph.
Reality hits home
A lineup of unsold Cybertrucks.
If those numbers seem unimaginable, they were clearly hard for Tesla engineers to find ways to deliver upon. Of course, if the final production model wouldn’t quite make those targets it would be no surprise.
The Tesla Cybertruck concept, revealed a year after the Roadster prototype, also ran several years late to market. And, when the first handful of the electric pickups finally were delivered in 2023, range and performance came in substantial lower than what Musk promised in November 2018 — even while pricing ran tens of thousands of dollars above Tesla’s original estimate.
Add the fact that the Roadster can’t do many of the functional things once promised, and that it also has faced 10 recalls for everything from faulty accelerator pedals, malfunctioning windshield wipers and trim parts and off-road lightbars that could fall off. Tesla sold just 19,100 Cybertrucks in 2025, down 38,965 the year before.
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April launch – but will anyone care
The second-gen Tesla Roadster has been repeatedly delayed since the prototype’s 11/17 debut.
Of the analysts who spoke to Headlight.News, the possible launch of the Tesla Roadster generated little more than yawns, and questions about whether anyone will really care at this point. That would be all the more so, all agreed, if Tesla couldn’t come close to delivering on the specs it originally promoted.
Even now, Musk is being cautious, writing on X, “New Roadster unveil probably in late April.” The March 17 post, it should be noted, marked the 18th anniversary of when production of the original Roadster began.
Part of the problem is the growing pushback against Tesla triggered by the CEO’s turn to the political far right, along with his controversial role as head of the short-lived Department of Government Efficiency under the second Trump administration. That has led to a sharp slump in demand in key markets, including Europe, Tesla last year reporting a decline in global sales for the second consecutive year.
Add the fact that there are now plenty of ridiculously fast alternatives using all-electric, hybrid and gas powertrains. More than a few, including the battery-electric Lucid Air Sapphire and hybridized Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, now can hit 60 in under 2 seconds.
The further the second-generation Tesla Roadster strays from its originally promised specs the more likely it will mirror the disaster that the Cybertruck has become.
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