The production-ready version of Tesla’s much-anticipated Roadster is nearly here, according to the American firm’s founder and owner Elon Musk.
Musk posted last night via X, formerly known as Twitter, that the new Roadster’s production design was complete and that there would be a reveal at the end of this year.
The original Tesla Roadster went on sale in 2008 and never really caught on with British buyers. A chassis from the Lotus Elise promised a fun innovative electric sports car, but unreliability and heavy weight spoiled the product. However, the second generation, which was revealed in 2017, has high expectations.
After numerous delays, supply chain issues, and the complexity and extended development of a tri-motor powertrain, the new Roadster will finally be going out to customers at the beginning of 2025, according to the Tesla boss.
19 years ago, when my 1st company got bought, I had to decide between buying a house in Palo Alto or a McLaren F1 (best car ever imo). Was no contest. I bought F1 & a small condo that was much cheaper than the car. New Tesla Roadster will exceed all gas sports cars in every way…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2018
In previous reveals, the Roadster would be available with a rocket thruster package, built in conjunction with SpaceX.
Musk is now claiming that the revised Roadster will be capable of achieving a 0-60mph time of under a second, putting it among some of the fastest-accelerating cars ever made. Speaking on X, the Tesla boss said that the new Roadster will ‘exceed all gas sports cars in every way’.
Originally, it was expected that the new Roadster would cost around £190,000, for the ‘Founders edition’ model. But since further changes and development have been made, it’s likely to increase to almost £200,000.
However, the Roadster’s biggest rival, the Rimac Nevera cost £2 million and is almost a second slower from 0-60 mph, making the Roadster look like great value.
Further announcements will be made during the year regarding the Roadster’s upcoming reveal.