Elon Musk Teases Debut Plans for Tesla's Long-Delayed Roadster

By Ben Otto

Tesla has finished designs for its long-delayed Roadster electric sports car and intends to begin shipments next year, Chief Executive Elon Musk said.

In a series of posts on his social-media platform X, Musk said Wednesday that the vehicle's design was a collaboration between Tesla and his rocket company SpaceX, and would be unveiled at the end of the year. The car will be capable of accelerating to 60 miles per hour in less than a second, which "is the least interesting part," he said.

"Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster," Musk wrote. "There will never be another car like this, if you could even call it a car."

The original Roadster was Tesla's first production car, released in 2008.

In 2017, Musk promised a revamped version that he said would be the quickest production car ever made, with a top speed of 250 mph. At the time, Tesla said a base version would sell for $200,000 and debut in 2020.

Tesla in 2021 delayed the launch, citing supply-chain shortages.

Musk's focus on the Roadster comes days after Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD debuted a $233,000 sports car known as the U9, part of plans to expand from the company's budget-car origins in hopes of higher returns under its premium brand Yangwang.

The Warren Buffett-backed company, which last year overtook Tesla as the world's largest EV maker by sales, targets deliveries for the Lamborghini-esque, two-door coupe in mid-2024.

Write to Ben Otto at ben.otto@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 28, 2024 07:27 ET (12:27 GMT)

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