Tesla has pushed back the reveal of its long-delayed next-generation Roadster — again. But Elon Musk says it could arrive as soon as late next month.
On Tuesday, the Tesla CEO said on X that the company will “hopefully” unveil the electric sports car next month, “probably in late April.”
That timeline is already slipping from Musk’s recent guidance. In an October interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Musk said the car would be released “hopefully before the end of the year.” Then, in November, during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, he said that the company was “tentatively aiming” to have the demo event on April 1, adding that the date gives him “some deniability because I can say I was just kidding.”
It’s the latest twist in the more than 8-year reimagining of Tesla’s flagship sports car. The Roadster 2 was first announced in 2017 and originally marketed with an expected delivery in 2020.
The Roadster has since become one of Tesla’s most anticipated — and controversial — projects.
“It’s going to be the most memorable product unveil ever,” Musk told Rogan in October.
Reservations for the Roadster have been open for years. Tesla first began taking deposits in November 2017, when it unveiled the prototype.
Early adopters had to pay a steep price to hold a spot: $50,000 for current models, or a $250,000 deposit for the limited “Founder’s Series.”
Some high-profile reservation holders have grown frustrated with the repeated delays. In late 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee both said they had canceled reservations. Musk later said Altman received a refund within 24 hours, while Brownlee said he still holds a second reservation he was given for free.
Musk has acknowledged the long wait. On a 2024 earnings call, he described reservation holders as “long suffering,” while downplaying the car’s importance to Tesla’s core business, saying the Roadster was “not just the icing on the cake, it’s the cherry on the icing on the cake.”
The Roadster is expected to serve as Tesla’s top-end vehicle, as the company phases out its luxury Model S and Model X vehicles. The automaker’s website says the sports car will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, have a range of about 620 miles, and seat four.
Behind the scenes, Tesla appears to be ramping up work on the Roadster. Business Insider previously reported that the company hired engineers tied to the project in 2025. Musk has said the car will be a collaboration with SpaceX, and could include rocket thrusters to boost performance.
Tesla also filed new trademark applications related to the Roadster in February.
The model is also something of a return to Tesla’s roots. The company’s first vehicle, released in 2008, was a modified Lotus Elise — a lightweight sports car retrofitted with an electric powertrain. It also bore the “Roadster” branding.
The unveiling of the rebooted car comes during a pivotal stretch for Tesla. The company aims to scale production of its Semi truck, self-driving Cybercab, and Optimus humanoid robot.
Musk has said 2026 will be “something special” for Tesla.
So when exactly will the Roadster finally make its public debut? Some fans think they already know the answer.
“How about April 20?” one user replied to Musk on X — a nod to 4:20, one of the CEO’s favorite marijuana jokes.
