Tesla is pushing ahead with its Roadster project. Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, spoke at the X Takeover 2025 event. He said the Roadster is “definitely in development” and shared news of a planned public demo.
Moravy said his team recently showed new technology for the Roadster to CEO Elon Musk. In his words: “We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing; We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
Roadster progress has been slow. Tesla first showed the car in 2017. They planned to release it by 2020, but delays followed. The company worked first on higher-volume cars and then the Cybertruck.
The original Roadster specs included 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, over 250 mph top speed, and a 620-mile range. Over time, Musk has said new features could give the car an even faster acceleration time, possibly below one second, using cold air thrusters from SpaceX technology.
Tesla’s Current Priorities
Moravy leads a team of about 6,000 engineers. He said Tesla is busy with several big projects. That includes the Roadster, the Optimus robot, the Semi truck, and work on self-driving technology.
Rumors about a major demo grew after Musk announced Tesla’s “most epic demo ever” for later this year. Some think this could feature the latest Optimus robot, but Moravy’s update suggests the Roadster could be the centerpiece.
Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy on the new Tesla Roadster:
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2025
"Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It's going to be mind blowing; We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech… pic.twitter.com/EBB0c36xFA
SpaceX Features in the Roadster
The Roadster will have a “SpaceX package,” using rocket thrusters. This should help both acceleration and handling. Musk said this could even one day allow the Roadster to hover, at least for short periods.
Current Market and Customer Reactions
Tesla is facing tough times. This year, it saw its first drop in vehicle deliveries. It is also competing with more brands in China and Europe. The company is updating other models and working on more affordable cars for the future.
Buyers who put down deposits for the Roadster, sometimes as much as $250,000, are still waiting. Tesla promised free Roadsters as part of referral rewards, adding more pressure to deliver.
Moravy confirmed that engineers are working on the Roadster, but there is no firm date for when it will reach buyers. Musk has hoped for low-volume production to begin in 2025.
Recent updates say the Roadster’s design and engineering are making progress. Musk has watched some of these demonstrations and given positive feedback.
Competition in the Supercar Market
When Tesla showed the Roadster for the first time, their numbers would have made it the world’s fastest production car. Now, rivals like the Rimac Nevera offer similar or better performance. Tesla is relying on its SpaceX partnership and new tech to stand out.
The Roadster is meant to do something no car has done before by mixing spacecraft and car technology.
Tesla continues to work on making the Roadster ready. The public may soon see a demo showing its new features. This could be the most significant step for the Roadster since its unveiling years ago. There are a lot of big promises, and fans are waiting to see what the demo delivers.
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