Tesla Roadster
Courtesy: Tesla
Six years ago, Elon Musk launched a next-generation Roadster, his name of Tesla debut car from 2008. A facelifted version was never built, but Musk once again promises that a new Roadster is on the way.
“Tonight, we dramatically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster,” Musk said wrote to X as part of a series of Tuesday night posts. “There will never be another car like it, if you could call it a car.”
“I think it has a chance to be the most impressive product demo ever,” he wrote, adding that it will hit 60 mph in less than a second, “and that’s the least interesting part.”
Musk promoted the concept of the next-generation Roadster at an event in November 2017 and in June 2018 in a series of tweets. He said at the time, “The SpaceX option package for the new Tesla Roadster will include ~10 small rocket boosters that will fit seamlessly around the car.” The motors will improve speed and braking and may “even allow a Tesla to fly,” he wrote at the time.
On Tuesday, he responded to his old tweets saying, “You’ll love the new Roadster more than your home.”
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk’s renewed pronouncements followed news that Chinese rival BYD unveiled a new electric supercar, dubbed the U9, that can achieve speeds similar to high-end models from companies such as Ferrari.
BYD’s electric supercar, which it says will be able to reach a top speed of around 192 miles per hour, is scheduled for delivery to customers this summer. While BYD has no plans to sell its vehicles in the US, Tesla competes with BYD in mainland China and other markets.
Tesla’s market share in China fell in January to 6.1 percent, while BYD’s share stood at 29.2 percent, according to China Passenger Car Association data cited by Morgan Stanley China Autos researchers in a note on Wednesday.
Musk’s grandiose promises are nothing new. His frequent failures to deliver on them are the subject of an online promise-tracking site called ElonMusk. Today. The site noted Wednesday that it’s been, “1,876 days since Elon Musk said the new Roadster would use rocket technology that would allow it to fly.”
In Tesla’s latest quarterly shareholder update, the company said the new Roadster is still “work in progress” with no pilot production line built and no location chosen for production.
“Musk is the master of selective disclosure,” said Warren Ahner, an automotive technology expert and former competitive driving instructor.
Ahner said it’s not clear how a supercar would benefit Tesla’s business, adding that it’s “mostly about ego.”
“If you have the right credit score, you can walk into a Tesla showroom and buy a Model S Plaid today,” Ahner said. This “already has far more power potential than 99% of drivers on the road are capable of handling.”
Ross Gerber, a longtime Tesla fan and recent critic of Musk, agreed that it would be difficult to “move the needle” for Tesla with a refreshed Roadster.
“If they build a great car that people talk about, there could be a halo effect,” said Gerber, CEO of asset management company Gerber Kawasaki. He compared it to the recently released Cybertruck. “Everybody wants to look at it and more,” Gerber said. “But does it mean it will help Tesla sell more cars?”
Gerber said Tesla should focus more on its affordable EV, which he calls the “next-generation” platform. He added that Musk’s outspokenness on political issues “is really damaging” to the company and shareholders.
“I don’t think he’s focused,” Gerber said. “And I don’t think he’s trying to sell cars at all. It puts Tesla in a very difficult position where we’ve had to reduce our investment in Tesla because we don’t feel like the opportunity is as good now that Elon’s gone. Many of the company’s key customers ยป.
On Musk’s X account, which claims 174.1 million followers, Musk has recently denounced immigrants and disparaged diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives in medicine and other fields.
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