Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Thursday that the company will unveil the production version of its second-generation Roadster supercar on April 1, 2026 — nearly nine years after he first unveiled the project.
Musk, famous for missing deadlines, said during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting that he chose April Fools’ Day in part because it provides “some deniability.”
“Like, I could say I was just kidding” if it happens later, he said.
Revealing the production version of the new Roadster next year is itself a delay. Just a week ago, he appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast and repeated his claim that he would show off the car by the end of the year.
Musk emphasized Thursday that the car “will be very different from what was shown before,” and again teased that the demo will be the “most exciting, whether it works or not, demo ever of any product” — a not-so-sly nod to the fact that he’s spent years trying to get the new Roadster to fly somehow, possibly with SpaceX-built thrusters.
Musk went on to say that he believes the second-generation Roadster won’t enter production for 12 to 18 months after the April revelation.
During the Q&A portion of the meeting, a shareholder asked Musk if customers who pre-ordered the “Founders Series” version of the new Roadsters could be invited to the unveiling event. It was the customers who plunked down $250,000 to secure special versions of the car in 2017.
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“Of course,” Musk replied. “It’s the least we can do for our long-suffering Roadster reservation holders.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was one of the long-sufferers who recently tried to cancel the reservation — and initially failed to get a refund — for the long-promised EV.
Earlier this month, Altman posted a “narrative in three acts” on X, which consisted of several screenshots showing his first booking, a request for a refund of the $50,000 booking fee and his returning email.
“I was really excited about the car!” Altman wrote. “And I understand delays. But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait.”
Musk, who has openly sparred with Altman for years, went on the attack. “And you forgot to mention Act 4 where this issue was resolved and you received a refund within 24 hours,” Musk wrote. “But it’s in your nature.”