Elon Musk is promising a next-generation Roadster, six years later

Six years ago, Elon Musk hyped the next-generation Roadster, which was called Tesla’s The car debuted in 2008. An updated version was never produced, but Musk once again promised that a new Roadster is coming soon.

“Tonight, we fundamentally raised the bar on the design goals of the new Tesla Roadster,” Musk said write on X As part of a series of posts on Tuesday evening. “There will never be a second car like this, if you can even call it a car.”

“I think it has a chance to be the most exciting product demo ever,” he wrote, adding that it will hit 60 miles per hour in less than a second, “which is the least interesting part.”

Musk first promoted the next-generation Roadster concept in a series of tweets in June 2018. He said at the time that “the SpaceX option package for the new Tesla Roadster will include about 10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around the car.” He wrote at the time that the engines would increase speed and braking capabilities, “and even allow Tesla to Fly up.”

On Tuesday, he replied to his old tweet explain, “You’ll love this new Roadster more than your house.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Musk’s renewed statement follows news that Chinese rival BYD has launched a new electric supercar called the U9, which is capable of speeds similar to high-end models from the likes of Ferrari.

BYD’s electric supercar is said to have a top speed of around 192 miles per hour and is expected to be delivered to customers this summer. While BYD has no plans to sell cars in the United States, Tesla competes with BYD in mainland China and other markets.

Morgan Stanley China automotive researchers cited data from the China Passenger Car Association in a report on Wednesday that Tesla’s market share in China fell to 6.1% in January, while BYD’s market share was 29.2%.

Musk’s grandiose promises are nothing new. His frequent failure to deliver on his promises is the subject of an online promise website called Promise Tracker. Elon Musk today. The site noted Wednesday that “1,876 days have passed since Elon Musk said the new Roadster would use rocket technology to enable it to fly.”

Latest at Tesla quarterly shareholders In an update, the company said the new Roadster is still “under development,” with no pilot production line built or a production location selected.

“Musk is a master of selective disclosure,” said Warren Ahner, an automotive technology expert and former competitive driving instructor.

Arner said it was unclear how the supercar would benefit Tesla’s business, adding that it was “mostly ego.”

“If you have the right credit score, you can walk into a Tesla showroom today and buy a Model S Plaid,” Arner said. “Its power potential is beyond what 99 percent of drivers on the road can handle.”

Ross Gerber, a long-time Tesla fan and recent Musk critic, agreed that it would be difficult to “make a difference” for Tesla with the updated Roadster.

“If they build a great car that people will talk about, it could have a halo effect,” said Gerber, CEO of wealth management firm Gerber Kawasaki. He compared it to the recently released Cybertruck. “Everyone wants to see something like it,” Gerber said. “But does that mean it will help Tesla sell other cars?”

Gerber said Tesla should focus more on its affordable electric vehicles, which he called a “next generation” platform. He added that Musk’s outspokenness on political issues “is really harmful” to the company and shareholders.

“I think he was distracted,” Gerber said. “And I don’t think he was trying to sell cars at all. It put Tesla in a very difficult position where we had to lower our investment in Tesla because we felt like the opportunity wasn’t that good anymore now that Elon has shut down. So a lot of the company’s core customers.”

On the X account, which Musk claims to have 174.1 million followers, Musk has recently decried immigration and disparaged diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in medicine and other fields.

watch: Apple needs to do something big, and Rivian could be the answer