Key Takeaways
- Tesla Roadster flying car claim: Elon Musk unveiled the Roadster on October 15, 2026, and said the car will be able to fly.
- $5,000 deposit: CBS News reported that a non-flying model takes online reservations with a $5,000 deposit.
- 2028 production target: Musk said the vehicle would go into production in 2028, and prices were not announced.
- Public road approval: this story has no confirmed information on public road approval.
Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Roadster on October 15, 2026, and said it will be able to fly. CBS News reported that would-be buyers can place a reservation online with a $5,000 deposit for a non-flying model. Musk said the vehicle would go into production in 2028, and CBS News reported that prices were not announced. Tesla's Roadster page, as archived in November 2017, listed a $200,000 base price with a $50,000 base reservation and a $250,000 Founders Series reservation (1,000 reservations available). CBS News reported a $5,000 deposit for a non-flying model in 2026, and it reported that prices were not announced for the vehicle Musk unveiled. The $5,000 deposit is one-tenth of the 2017 base reservation, but the sources do not say the two cover the same model, so the comparison is between two reservation amounts, not two prices.
Tesla Roadster flying car claim: what CNN and CBS News reported
CNN reported that Musk said the car will be able to fly. The outlet said the car uses 10 nozzles and what Musk described as "ultra high-pressure air tanks" to propel itself in the air and to accelerate quickly on the ground. Musk said, "Success is not guaranteed," and added: "It'll probably work, but if it doesn't work, we're at a safe distance."
CBS News said the Roadster uses high-pressure air thrusters to leave the road entirely during a livestreamed event in Texas. It wrote that the vehicle took flight using high-pressure gas boosters. It also quoted Musk saying, "Flying cars are real," during the event. Tesla's Roadster page, checked on October 16, 2026, carries a footnote that reads "Available with the Rocket trim only, which is not available in all regions." That footnote is attached to the page's flight line, "So yes, it can fly." The page's "Air ready" version, with seating for one, is the only version the page says can fly, and its "Road ready" and "Race ready" versions seat two. The sources do not say which version the $5,000 non-flying reservation covers. The same page says its features "are reflective of our Thrust augment only and are available as an optional upgrade."
CNN framed the flight as Musk's claim, while CBS News described the vehicle as having taken flight. This story did not test the vehicle, so both accounts are reported, not confirmed.
Tesla Roadster $5,000 deposit: which model takes reservations
CBS News reported that buyers can place a reservation online, with a $5,000 deposit, for a non-flying model of the Roadster. It said the Thrust model, a limited-edition model promised online, cannot be reserved. It also reported that Tesla's website says the Rocket model, the version with its "full flight system," will be offered by invitation only. The sources do not say whether the Thrust model is the same option as the Thrust augment on Tesla's page, or whether the Rocket model is the same option as the Rocket trim on Tesla's page.
Tesla Roadster price, road approval and 2028 production: what is not established
CBS News reported that prices were not announced for the vehicle Musk unveiled. This story has no confirmed information on whether that vehicle is approved for use on public roads.
Musk said the vehicle would go into production in 2028. CNN wrote that throughout Tesla's history, Musk has made promises about when things would be accomplished, only to miss that timeline by a number of years. This story does not confirm the 2028 date, which rests on Musk's statement.
Tesla Roadster flying car claim: expert and analyst comments
Roger Connor, curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, told CNN before the event that aircraft are extremely sensitive to weight, while ground vehicles should have bumpers and crumple zones, the parts that absorb impact in a crash. He said, "Inevitably, something that is a hybrid between the two is going to be a poor performing aircraft and a poor performing vehicle, and also quite expensive."
Dan Ives, a Wall Street analyst at Yorkville Ives, said in a research note: "The Roadster will not move the volume or revenue needle, with production likely limited, and investors should not model it as a growth driver". He also wrote that the Roadster puts a spotlight on the "engineering stack" a week before its fiscal third-quarter results (FY3Q26) on October 21. CBS News quoted him saying the Roadster "puts the Tesla and SpaceX relationship on the table in a tangible way, with propulsion, pressure-vessel, and control hardware developed at the rocket company sitting on a Tesla product." CBS News ties that rocket company to SpaceX.
People Also Ask
Can you reserve the Tesla Roadster flying car now?
Online reservations are open for a non-flying model of the Tesla Roadster with a $5,000 deposit, CBS News reported. The vehicle Musk unveiled has no announced price. CBS News reported that Tesla's website says the Rocket model will be offered by invitation only.
When will the Tesla Roadster go into production?
Musk said the Tesla Roadster would go into production in 2028, according to CNN and CBS News. CNN wrote that Musk has missed Tesla timelines by a number of years, so this story treats the 2028 date as Musk's statement.
Is the Tesla Roadster flying car approved for public roads?
This story has no confirmed information on whether the Tesla Roadster is approved for use on public roads.
Did the Tesla Roadster fly at its unveiling?
CBS News reported that the Tesla Roadster took flight at the October 15, 2026, launch event, while CNN reported that Musk said the car will be able to fly. This story includes no independent flight test.
Sources: CNN Business, CBS News, Tesla's Roadster page, and the same page as archived in November 2017.