Tesla to Unveil New Roadster with SpaceX Thrusters on October 1

Tesla is set to show its long-awaited second-generation Roadster on October 1 in Waco, Texas. The announcement came with a “Go for launch” teaser image, a ticking countdown clock, and a performance demo featuring SpaceX thruster hardware.

The event comes just weeks after another Tesla product launch hurt shareholders financially. That gap between hype and hard details is what investors must now weigh.

Go for launch pic.twitter.com/Khu03eiZ04

— Tesla (@Tesla) September 12, 2026

Nine Years, One Rocket Company

Tesla has made similar date promises before. Musk once chose April 1 for the Roadster demo, later admitting to shareholders he picked April Fools' Day so he could always claim it was a joke.

That date passed, as did every one since.

The latest plan involves cold gas thrusters — small nozzles releasing compressed gas — taken from SpaceX rocket components. Teslarati reports the car may briefly lift off the ground without a driver during the event. Musk has claimed it can reach 60 mph in 1.1 seconds.

Not everyone is convinced. Mate Rimac, founder of competing hypercar maker Rimac Automobili, has questioned such performance figures.

“…you need something like 30.000 Nm on the wheels to accelerate below 1 sec 0-100 km/h.”

Tesla first unveiled this car in 2017, with delivery targeted for 2020. Nine years later, no customer has received one.

What the Stock Did 10 Days Ago

Wall Street has already run a similar test. Tesla launched the Cybercab on September 3 at a private robotaxi event in Austin. There was no livestream, no public comments from Musk, and no fleet numbers disclosed.

Shares dropped 5.92% to $354.08 that day, according to Yahoo Finance.

By September 11, they had recovered to $365.44. The average analyst price target is $377.08, barely 3% above that level. Tesla's valuation rides on robots and software — themes that dominated its second quarter earnings — not on a hovering car.

The choice is straightforward. A hovering car is a spectacle. A production schedule is a business, and October 1 will reveal which one Tesla delivers.