tesla roadster may debut this month with spacex thrustersTesla's long-delayed next-generation Roadster could finally be unveiled this month, with a demonstration reportedly set to show the car fitted with cold-gas thrusters developed alongside SpaceX. The detail comes via Reuters, and marks the latest in a string of reveal timelines that have slipped repeatedly since the EV was first shown in 2017.That earlier history is worth remembering. Reveal dates have come and gone several times, including one Musk-set target of April 1 - April Fools' Day. However, the new report carries more weight than the usual social-media teasers.The demonstration is reportedly set to take place at SpaceX's test site in McGregor, Texas. If Tesla does strap cold-gas thrusters to the Roadster, only a limited number of examples are expected to be built with the hardware. The standard car, meanwhile, is still expected to use a conventional all-electric powertrain, arriving in a market that looks far more receptive to an electric performance model than the one the original Roadster entered in 2008. Back then, the Roadster had the segment largely to itself. Today, however, high-performance EVs are widely available.New Tesla Roadster Arriving "Very Soon": Design ChiefNew Tesla Roadster Arriving "Very Soon": Design ChiefTesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen says the next-generation Roadster is coming "very soon," offering the same three-word promise the company has leaned on for nearly nine years without a date, specs, or a single new detail to back it up. Von Holzhausen made the remark on the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage. The exchange was brief and came as the episode wrapped. Leno said he was "eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new Roadster," and von Holzhausen answered, "Yes, very soon." Leno pressed him, asking again, "Very soon?" The reply was identical. Leno's deadpan response, "10 years… just shy of 10 years," summed up the credibility problem.The timing is worth noting given the venue. Von Holzhausen, who has led Tesla design for close to 18 years, was not on the show to discuss Tesla. He appeared to show off his 400-horsepower V8-swapped Pontiac Solstice, a gas car he designed at GM two decades ago. "I'm a Tesla guy, but the sound sounds pretty good," he told Leno.Marcus LewinskyMarcus LewinskyAdvertisementAdvertisementFor those not aware, Tesla and SpaceX are both led by Musk. For now, the thruster-equipped Roadster stands as one of the most visible points of overlap between the two companies, but rumors are swirling of a potential acquisition of Tesla by SpaceX.Whether the demonstration actually happens this month, and whether the reveal finally sticks after nearly a decade of delays, remains unconfirmed.The Roadster's protracted timeline has become a fixture of Tesla coverage since 2017, and the pattern of shifting dates means the latest report warrants caution. Still, the specificity of the McGregor location and the SpaceX cold-gas hardware suggests the collaboration has moved beyond concept renderings. Therefore, if the car appears as described, it would give Tesla a distinctive entry in a performance EV market that has grown crowded everywhere except the open-top niche the Roadster is aiming for.
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