If you missed it, Elon Musk just did something many people thought he never would. On Thursday night, Tesla finally pulled the cover off its long delayed Roadster. And yes, the thing can leave the ground. It used rocket style thrusters to hop, flip and sail over other cars while a livestream audience watched. Honestly, it looked like a movie scene.
So what really happened, and does any of it matter to us in South Africa? Let’s go through it step by step.
What happened at the event
The show took place on 15 October 2026 near Waco, Texas, at a SpaceX testing site. It was meant to happen two weeks earlier, but Tesla delayed it because of bad weather.
The demo was short, but wow. The white Roadster raced up a curved ramp until it was upside down, and somehow it stayed stuck there. Then it shot off the end, rolled in the air and came down on its wheels. No crash, no drama.
Later, the car used its thrusters to rise over a row of Tesla vehicles. That row included the Cybercab, Cybertruck, Semi, Model Y and Model 3. It was a clear way to show off what the car can do.
Musk kept it simple on stage. He said “flying cars are real.” Then he admitted that success is not guaranteed, though he said the car “will probably work.” That’s an honest thing to say, I guess.
How does the Roadster “fly”?
Let’s clear something up first. This isn’t a flying car like the ones in old cartoons. There are no wings, and you won’t be skipping Johannesburg traffic in it.
What the car has is cold gas thrusters. They release high pressure air from tanks and push the car in a chosen direction. The idea is easy to grasp, and it comes straight from SpaceX rocket technology. Musk said the result comes from mixing “the world’s best car company” with “the world’s best rocket company.”
The top version is called Rocket. It seats one person and has ten thrusters around the body. Reports also mention a fan based system under the car that presses it onto the surface, which explains how it clung to that upside down ramp.
So no, it doesn’t stay in the air for long. It’s more like a powerful, controlled jump. Still, no major car brand has shown anything like this on such a big stage before.
Speed claims that turned heads
The flying wasn’t the only shock. Tesla says the Roadster went from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 0.81 seconds during the show. That’s about 97 kilometres per hour in less than a second. Most of us blink slower than that.
Tesla also talked about a top speed of 230 miles per hour, around 370 kilometres per hour. Musk went even bigger and said the final production car could chase half the speed of sound. That sounds amazing, but these are Tesla’s own claims. It’s wise to wait for independent tests before believing them.
Key facts at a glance
| Detail | What was reported |
|---|---|
| Event date | 15 October 2026 |
| Location | Near Waco, Texas, at a SpaceX site |
| Flying tech | Cold gas thrusters using high pressure air |
| Rocket version | One seat, ten thrusters |
| Production start | Planned for 2028 |
| Reservation | US$5,000 upfront, which Tesla says is refundable |
| Final price | Not announced |
Price and when you can buy one
Musk says the car will be for sale, with production starting in 2028. A final price hasn’t been shared yet. Tesla has opened reservations, though. In the United States, you can reserve the thruster version with US$5,000, and Tesla says that first payment is fully refundable.
Some reports talk about a total near US$250,000 for the Rocket version. Since the numbers don’t match everywhere, check the official Tesla site for the latest before you decide anything.
For most South Africans, that amount is simply out of reach at today’s exchange rate. And Tesla has warned that the Rocket version may not be sold in every region. So we shouldn’t count on seeing one in a Cape Town showroom.
Is it legal to fly on the road?
Not at all. Tesla says flying the car on public roads is not allowed, and the company has admitted the Rocket version will not be road legal.
A reporter asked Musk about street rules, and his answer was a bit slippery. He said it “depends on your street.” He also said the Roadster is “not necessarily a safety optimised car,” though he insisted it will still be a proper car you can drive.
That matters here because anything that flies is tightly controlled. In our country, the South African Civil Aviation Authority sets the rules for aircraft, pilots and flight safety, and you can read more on the SACAA website. A car that lifts off the ground would face a very long approval journey before it got anywhere near our roads.
Why this reveal matters
This car has had a rough ride. Tesla first showed a version back in 2017 and promised deliveries by 2020. That didn’t happen. Years passed, and plenty of fans stopped believing it ever would.
Musk had hinted at thrusters for ages. In 2018, he wrote that a SpaceX package would add roughly ten small rocket thrusters to the car. Late last year, he told a popular podcast he wanted to reveal it by the end of 2025. That deadline slipped too, so this event felt like a long overdue finish.
Investors noticed as well. Reports say Tesla’s share price rose after the show. Some analysts had hoped the Roadster would bring back the buzz that earlier launches, like the Robotaxi and Semi, didn’t fully deliver.
What it means for South Africa
For now, think of this as a story to follow, not a car to buy. A few reasons why.
The car is still years away, with production planned for 2028. The price will probably be sky high. And the flying version may never come here at all, since Tesla hasn’t promised it for every market.
Still, it’s exciting news. Electric vehicles and rocket technology are clearly moving closer together. Many South African drivers are already looking at electric cars because of fuel costs and ongoing load shedding worries, so stories like this show how fast things are changing.
It’s also a good reminder to stay a little sceptical. A short, planned stunt on a test site is nothing like daily driving on a busy road. Before anyone gets carried away, we’ll want proper testing, safety data and clear rules.
The bottom line
Tesla has shown a Roadster that can hop, flip and fly short distances using SpaceX style thrusters. It also made huge speed claims, announced a 2028 production plan and opened reservations in the United States.
But it isn’t a real flying machine for daily travel. It can’t fly on public roads, the final price is unknown, and it may skip some countries. So for South African readers, the message is simple. Enjoy the show, keep an eye on the news, and wait for the facts before getting too excited.
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