When you think of a Tesla, I'm willing to bet a Model 3, a Model Y or maybe even a Cybertruck comes to mind. You'd be forgiven if you've forgotten about the Roadster.
The Tesla Roadster was the first car from Elon Musk's company, produced between 2008 and 2012. It's been a long time since then, and almost as long since Tesla first showed off the next-gen Roadster at a launch event in 2017. It was an impressive unveiling: CNET's Tim Stevens wrote that the car "blew our minds." But almost a decade later, those who preordered the sporty electric car are still waiting for it to arrive.
Now we have a new promise from Musk about when the Roadster 2 will -- may? -- actually arrive.
This was the original Tesla Roadster. It looks a lot different from the next-gen version unveiled in 2017. Who knows how it'll compare with the version we might see in April 2026. Hagerty
Musk shared an update about the Roadster at the 2025 Tesla Shareholders Meeting last week. (Yeah, that was the same meeting where shareholders approved a potential trillion-dollar pay package for Musk.)
According to Musk, we'll get to see the new-look, next-gen Tesla Roadster at an event on April 1, 2026. That's right: April Fools' Day. But Musk says he's serious.
"The product unveil of the Roadster 2, which will be very different than what we've shown previously, that demo event will be April 1 of next year," Musk said, then waffled: "I have some deniability because I can say I was just kidding."
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He then waffled some more. "But we are actually tentatively aiming for April 1, for what I think will be the most exciting, whether it works or not, demo of any product. And then I guess production is probably about 12-18 months after that. I think production is about a year or so after that."
That may be exciting for customers who put down a deposit many years ago. But many Tesla owners, myself included, might struggle to believe it. After all, just last week, Musk said on the Joe Rogan Experience that a demo would happen by the end of this year.
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