The car hangs upside-down on the vertical section of a C-shaped ramp, suspended motionless in midair for several seconds, as if held by an invisible hand. This was the opening shot of Tesla's next-generation Roadster reveal event, held at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas — not a traditional automaker's launch stage.
Elon Musk and the Tesla team had the car repeat the stunt sequence once more — this time launching straight off the top of the ramp, flipping through the air, decelerating via rear-mounted thrusters, and landing cleanly. When the door opened, an Optimus robot was seated in the driver's seat — though Tesla clarified that the entire stunt was controlled by the vehicle's automated program, with the robot serving purely as a prop rather than actually piloting the car.
What allows the car to cling upside-down to the ramp is a multi-mode fan and ground-sealing system built into the chassis. According to Tesla's official site, the system pulls air out from beneath the car to generate downforce, creating enough suction to "stick" the entire vehicle to a vertical surface even while stationary.
The safe landing after the jump relies on cold-gas thruster technology borrowed from SpaceX: attitude-control nozzles and rear thrusters, all driven by electric actuators, which Tesla says can make "adjustments in under a second." This marks the first time Tesla has woven aerospace-grade attitude control into the marketing narrative of a production vehicle.
Musk said the next-generation Roadster is expected to enter production in 2028. Tesla had actually opened an initial round of reservations years ago, so this essentially reopens the queue for buyers who missed out: a $5,000 deposit is required, with the remaining $45,000 base-model payment due within 10 days. Buyers wanting the "Thrust" package — which includes the suction system and acceleration thrusters — must pay an additional $245,000 within 10 days of reserving. As for the "Rocket" variant with the full flight system, it's currently available by invitation only, with specs and availability yet to be announced.
