Tesla will stream its next-generation Roadster reveal live this Thursday, October 15, at 7:55 p.m. Central from Waco, Texas. The company confirmed the broadcast late Monday after weeks of silence about whether anyone beyond invited guests would see it.
This is the second attempt. Tesla originally set the unveil for October 1, posting a “Go for launch” teaser on September 12 and sending invitations to reservation holders specifying an adults-only, non-transferable event. On September 28, Tesla pushed it two weeks, blaming severe weather.
Elon Musk narrowed that to high winds, which lit up the obvious question: why would wind matter for a car launch?
The answer appears to involve rockets. The FAA closed airspace up to 10,000 feet near SpaceX’s McGregor test facility, which sits just outside Waco, from September 18 through October 2 to cover the original event date. Another airspace restriction has been reported for Wednesday, October 14, possibly for a rehearsal run. Speculative reports say the car will be unmanned on stage and spectators will be kept several hundred yards back.
A SpaceX thruster package reportedly code-named A71 is at the center of this. Musk has teased cold-gas thrusters for years, claiming they could shove the Roadster from zero to 60 mph in about one second. The base car’s 2017 spec sheet listed 1.9 seconds, which was already fast enough to embarrass most supercars. One second flat would put it in a category that doesn’t currently exist for road-legal vehicles.
Tesla has also hinted that what rolls out Thursday night won’t look like the 2017 prototype. A teaser shown at the close of the Semi event suggested a revised design. The company says the presentation will include pricing, specifications, and production targets.
The original numbers from 2017 have aged into mythology at this point: 620 miles of range, a top speed above 250 mph, $200,000 base price, $250,000 for the Founders Series. Those figures were announced nine years ago. The car has been delayed so many times that the deposit structure has become its own subplot.
Tesla reopened reservations last month requiring a $5,000 card payment followed by a $45,000 wire within ten days. The deposit is refundable, which tells you Tesla knows trust on this particular vehicle runs thin.
Production is penciled in at Giga Texas for 2027 or 2028, a timeline that has slipped repeatedly and will only gain credibility if Thursday’s presentation includes tooling progress or supplier commitments.
The calendar is not accidental. Tesla reports third-quarter earnings on October 21, six days after the stream. Whatever price, range, or production date drops Thursday will land directly in front of that analyst call. A rocket-propelled halo car is a useful thing to talk about when Wall Street starts asking questions about margins and delivery volumes.
Waco is an unusual venue for a car reveal. It is not a convention center or a factory floor. It is a small Texas city that happens to sit next to the place where SpaceX tests Raptor engines.
The location alone tells you what Tesla wants the Roadster to be associated with: not the auto industry, but aerospace. Whether the car actually leaves the ground on Thursday will determine if that framing is engineering or theater.
The livestream is expected on Tesla’s X account. No other platforms have been confirmed.
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