Tesla has said it will mass-produce its new Roadster electric sports car in 2028. It marks the eighth year since the model was first unveiled in 2017, but the industry is questioning whether it is another paper launch, IT outlet Engadget reported on Oct. 17.

Tesla showcased a redesigned Roadster at an event on Oct. 15. The Roadster climbed a C-shaped ramp fitted with a suction device and ended up inverted, then came back down to the ground while firing rocket boosters. Tesla set the deposit for the "Thrust" trim, fitted with cold-gas thrusters, at $250,000.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (일론 머스크) said at the event, "It enters mass production in 2028," adding, "This time it's real." Past Roadster production promises, however, were repeatedly broken.

When it was first unveiled in November 2017, the target date was 2020. At an earnings announcement in July 2020, Tesla said it would start production within 1 to 1.5 years, but it did not. It later pushed the target to 2022 in early 2021, then to 2023 later that year, and announced additional delays in 2023 and 2024. Musk also promised a "SpaceX package" in February 2018 that would embed about 10 rocket thrusters into the body.

Tesla has taken deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. Complaints have followed. YouTuber Marques Brownlee (마르케스 브라운리) said on a podcast in September 2025, "Tesla has had my $50,000 for eight years." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was also cited as someone who raised complaints related to Roadster reservations.

The original Roadster, launched in 2008, achieved a 244-mile range on a single charge by placing a battery on the body of a Lotus Elise. Musk's decision to invest in Tesla in 2004 was also driven by the Roadster concept.

Engadget said an event without a specific release date was effectively a half launch. Convincing potential customers that paying a deposit is a rational investment is a task for Musk and Tesla, it said.