Published: October 17, 2026
StartupFeed Quick Take
- The Tesla Roadster flew off a ramp and landed on cold-gas thrusters at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas site on October 15, 2026.
- A reservation costs a refundable $50,000 in the US, with no final price or delivery date set nine years after the 2017 unveiling.
- In India, Tesla sells only the Model Y, from Rs 50.89 lakh; the Roadster is not confirmed for the country.
Tesla flew its new Roadster off a ramp in McGregor, Texas, on October 15, landing the two-seater on cold-gas thrusters before a live crowd.
A reservation now costs a refundable $50,000 in the United States: $5,000 on a card, then $45,000 by wire within 10 days.
Tesla has not set a final price or a delivery date. At the 2017 unveiling the base price was about $200,000. The car is now nine years late.
What the flying demo did and did not prove
The Roadster climbed a curved ramp, hung upside down on underbody suction fans, then launched off the top and flipped before landing. It later hopped over five parked Tesla vehicles in a move Tesla called a “kick flip.”
The demo left out two things: a driver and a certificate. No one sat in the car during the airborne runs, which ran on a pre-programmed sequence.
Tesla also sought no aviation certification. For now the flying trick is not legal to use on any public road or in the air.
Tesla claims the Roadster can reach 60 miles per hour in 0.81 seconds, which it calls the quickest for any production car. That number, like the flight, is a claim from the event, not an independent test.
Elon Musk described how the car gets airborne:
“Altitude control thrusters and main thrusters in the rear, so it can basically fly like a rocket.”
Elon Musk, chief executive, Tesla. From the Roadster reveal, October 15, 2026.
Can you buy the Tesla Roadster in India?
Not for now. In India, Tesla sells just one car, the Model Y, imported fully built from Rs 50.89 lakh.
That price fell by about Rs 9 lakh in May 2026, from Rs 59.89 lakh at the July 2025 launch. Tesla runs five India experience centres, from Mumbai to Hyderabad.
Indian buyers have been here before. In 2016, Tesla took $1,000 deposits for the Model 3 from Indian customers. Some, including GOQii founder Vishal Gondal, waited about six years for a refund.
What this means for you: If you follow Tesla in India or sell EVs here, the Roadster is theatre, not a product you can buy. Watch the Model Y, now from Rs 50.89 lakh, for Tesla’s real India moves.
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