The long-delayed Tesla Roadster could be here as soon as next year. CEO Elon Musk launched a series of posts on the social media site X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, promising the high-performance model could reach customers in 2025.
A Rebirth of the First Tesla
Tesla’s first product was a high-performance electric 2-seater built on a Lotus Elise chassis, sold from 2008 through 2012.
The company announced plans to launch a second-generation version as early as 2017. In 2021, Musk promised deliveries in 2023.
Like other Tesla products, that project has proceeded in fits and starts and missed several production deadlines. Musk last said the company had “finished engineering” on the car in 2022.
The company re-opened reservations that year, taking $50,000 deposits against a promised price of approximately $250,000.
Many Questions Remain – but That’s a Tesla Thing
In Wednesday’s tweets, Musk said the company had “increased the design goals” for the car, suggesting that engineering wasn’t complete two years ago.
He made remarkable claims, including a zero-to-60-mph time of less than one second, a result that would easily defeat the current record holder, the Rimac Nevera.
The claims seem outlandish, but that has become a Musk trademark. He made similar boasts about the company’s unique Cybertruck, including the ability to function as a boat, tow 14,000 pounds, and drive for 500 miles between charges.
The finished Cybertruck missed every one of those targets, but that failure didn’t stem the hype at the truck’s launch or stop Tesla fans from ordering more than the company can build for several years.
