Watch: Musk's Tesla unveils Roadster with flying-car-like features
Tesla has unveiled a redesigned Roadster featuring advanced thrusters and flying-car-like capabilities, with production slated for 2028. While the vehicle is intended to serve as a 'halo car' to showcase engineering prowess, analysts note it will have minimal impact on the company's overall finances.
Why it matters
The project highlights Tesla's focus on brand prestige and engineering innovation, even as the company faces long delays and questions about the practical utility of such features.
Tesla has unveiled a redesigned version of its next-generation Roadster electric sports car, featuring built-in thrusters and flying-car-like manoeuvres, nearly nine years after first presenting the prototype. The company said production of the two-seater vehicle would begin in 2028.The demonstration, held at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, on Thursday, showed the vehicle driving upside down on a ramp using a suction system, turning in mid-air and landing with the help of built-in thrusters. The Roadster has been developed in collaboration with Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX.The legality and practical use of these features on public roads remained unclear.Musk said the Roadster could accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than one second and achieve a top speed exceeding 230 mph.Tesla Roadster's long-awaited returnTesla first unveiled a prototype of the second-generation Roadster in 2017, promising deliveries in 2020.
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