Tesla has confirmed an event on October 1 to unveil its long-awaited next-generation Roadster sports car. This announcement revives interest in the electric supercar, which was first introduced by CEO Elon Musk nearly a decade ago. Notably, the unveiling comes after OpenAI’s head, Sam Altman, publicly canceled his multi-year preorder for the vehicle, highlighting ongoing speculation around the Roadster’s development.
The company teased the event with the phrase “Go for launch,” referencing Musk’s background in rocket operations. Musk further promoted the announcement by resharing the post with the caption, “New Tesla Roadster Unveil 10.01.” This event is expected to provide crucial insights into the future of Tesla’s high-performance electric vehicles.
Could you please refund me the $50K? Expressing his frustration over the eight-year wait, Altman explained that he placed his initial deposit back in 2018: “I really was excited for the car! But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait. Musk initially revealed the second-generation Roadster in November 2017. Accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in under 2 seconds, marketed as the quickest street-legal production automobile ever engineered. It also claimed to deliver nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) on a single battery charge.
Altman shared a screenshot of an email sent directly to Tesla’s customer team asking: “Hi, I’d like to cancel my reservation. And I understand delays.
The renewed timeline follows a pointed public snub from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who took to social media platform X last year in October to show that he had withdrawn his financial commitment after years on the waiting list.
Musk teased in 2018 that an optional hardware tier would embed roughly ten miniature rocket thrusters into the chassis to dramatically boost cornering, acceleration, braking and potentially make the car hover. Despite an initial promise to enter volume manufacturing by 2020, the vehicle has faced continuous deferrals.
Speaking on an investor call previously, Musk apologised to “long-suffering deposit holders,” acknowledging that while the Roadster represents “the cherry on the icing of the cake,” the automaker’s core manufacturing capital has been funneled toward mass-market products and sustainable energy initiatives. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.