Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Thursday that the company will unveil the production version of its second-generation Roadster supercar on April 1, 2026 — nearly nine years after the project was first revealed.
Musk, who is famous for missing deadlines, said during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting that he chose April Fool’s Day in part because it offers “some denial.”
“Well, I could say I’m just kidding” if it happens later, he said.
Revealing the production version of the new Roadster next year is a delay in itself. Just a week ago appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast and repeated his claim that he wanted to show off the car by the end of the year.
Musk stressed on Thursday that the car “will be very different from what’s been shown before” and teased again that the demo will be the “most exciting, working or not, demo of any product” — a not-so-sly nod to the fact that he’s spent years trying to get the new Roadster to fly somehow, possibly SpaceX-built.
Musk went on to say that he believes the second-generation Roadster won’t go into production for another 12 to 18 months. after the april revelation.
During the Q&A portion of the meeting, a shareholder asked Musk if customers who pre-ordered the ‘Founders Series’ version of the new Roadsters could be invited to the unveiling event. These were the customers who plunked down $250,000 to secure special editions of the car in 2017.
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“Sure, absolutely,” Musk replied. “It’s the least we can do for long-suffering Roadster reservation holders.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was one of those long-time sufferers who recently tried to cancel a reservation — and initially failed to get a refund — for the long-promised EV.
Earlier this month, Altman posted a “tale in three acts” to X, which consisted of several screenshots showing his original reservation, a request for a refund of his $50,000 reservation, and his return email.
“I was really excited about the car!” Altman wrote. “And I understand the delays. But 7.5 years was a long time to wait.”
Musk, who has openly sparred with Altman for years, went on the offensive. “And you forgot to mention act 4, where this issue was resolved and you received a refund within 24 hours,” Musk wrote. “But that’s in your nature.”
