Tesla Roadster Launch Delayed Again to April 2026, Mass Production May Be Postponed until After 2027

BlockBeats News, November 7th, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced at the annual shareholder meeting that the official launch of the next-generation Roadster electric supercar will be delayed until April 1, 2026, with production scheduled to begin 12 to 18 months later, aiming for delivery as early as 2027 and as late as 2028. This means that the production timeline for this model has been postponed by nearly ten years since its initial unveiling in 2017. Musk chose April Fools' Day as the release date, stating, "This way, if there is another delay, I can still say it's a joke." This decision once again cast a shadow over the car's lengthy development process, as he had previously promised during an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast to hold a "memorable showcase" by the end of 2025.

According to Musk, the production version of the Roadster will have "significant differences" from the prototype showcased in 2017, with the new car possibly featuring a cold gas thruster system developed by SpaceX, enabling hovering and even brief flying capabilities. Insiders revealed that the latest design will feature a two-seater layout with butterfly doors, departing from the original four-seater version. The prolonged delay has left some pre-order customers dissatisfied. Since 2017, many customers have already paid deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently publicly requested a refund on social media, stating that his email was bounced back. Musk responded by saying, "Refunded within 24 hours," and joked, "This suits your style." Tech blogger Marques Brownlee also canceled his reservation in September 2025, describing the refund process as "extremely cumbersome." According to Tesla's financial report, these reservation deposits are recorded as "interest-free customer loans" on the books, with the longest frozen period reaching eight years. (China Times Finance)