'Flying Tesla' nine years in the making... Musk unveils Roadster

【Financial News, New York—Correspondent Lee Byeong-cheol】 Tesla will finally unveil the next-generation electric sports car, the Roadster, whose launch it has delayed for nine years. Attention is focused on whether the “flying car” Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised will actually become a reality.
According to The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and other outlets, Tesla will hold an unveiling event for the next-generation Roadster at 8:55 p.m. Eastern time that day at a SpaceX test facility in McGregor, near Waco, Texas, on the 15th (local time). The event is expected to be livestreamed online.
The main focus of the event is the Roadster’s levitation technology. Musk first outlined the idea of incorporating SpaceX rocket technology into the new Roadster in June 2018. At the time, Musk explained, “The SpaceX option package for the new Tesla Roadster will include around 10 small rocket thrusters naturally arranged around the vehicle.” He went on to claim, “These thrusters will improve acceleration and braking and could even allow Tesla cars to actually fly.”
The next-generation Roadster is expected to use SpaceX’s cold-gas thruster technology. The system generates thrust by expelling compressed gas, and it is being discussed as a possible way to lift the vehicle off the ground.
Tesla has also established a no-fly zone around the SpaceX test facility for the demonstration. This was confirmed in documents submitted to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The demonstration, initially scheduled for the 1st, was canceled because of bad weather.
The Roadster was also Tesla’s first production car. The first-generation Roadster, first launched in 2008, sold for about $100,000, and production ended in 2012.
Musk first unveiled the next-generation Roadster in November 2017 and began accepting $50,000 reservation deposits. However, he has not met a vehicle delivery timeline he subsequently announced—not even once. He also announced a demonstration before the end of last year in October, but it did not go ahead.
Tesla recently reopened reservations for the new Roadster in the United States, Canada and China, accepting $50,000 deposits. The event is expected to reveal the specific sale price, vehicle specifications and production targets.
However, the Roadster is expected to be a high-priced, low-volume model, so its impact on Tesla’s overall revenue and profitability is likely to be limited. Rather than improving the company’s results, the unveiling is expected to serve as a test of whether Musk can turn the technological vision he has long promised into reality.




[email protected] Correspondent Lee Byeong-cheol Reporter