On the evening of 15 October 2026, Tesla finally showed its next Roadster. It did that with a stunt show, not a showroom. Within a day, clips of a car hanging upside down and flipping in mid-air were all over X, TikTok and Reels, and the "flying car" trend began.
Here is what the reports say happened, and what didn't.
When and where
Tesla livestreamed the event on Thursday 15 October at 7:55 pm Central time (Electrek). It was first set for 1 October in Texas. Tesla postponed it because of the weather forecast, saying the show could only be held outdoors. Seeking Alpha reported that the event took place at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas (Seeking Alpha).
The Roadster has a long history of delays. Tesla first showed a Roadster prototype in November 2017 and promised production for 2020. Electrek counts at least six production delays since then.
What the car did
Engadget and Shacknews describe the same three stunts (Engadget, Shacknews):
- The ramp. The Roadster drove up a huge curved, C-shaped ramp. It stopped at the top hanging upside down, held there by suction. On its second run it left the top of the ramp, rolled over in the air and came down to the ground under thruster power.
- The jump over the lineup. It launched over a row of parked Tesla vehicles, including the tall Semi truck. Thrusters underneath lifted it, side thrusters flipped it, and the underside thrusters slowed the landing.
- The last flip. Near the end, it jumped from a standstill, turned over in the air and settled back down.
No one was inside. Shacknews describes the car as unmanned, and Electrek had reported before the event that the demo car was remote-operated and not street-legal.
How it "flies"
The lift comes from cold-gas thrusters: jets of compressed gas, using technology borrowed from SpaceX. Tesla said the car stores the gas in carbon-fibre pressure tanks packed into spare space, and that more gas on board means more time in the air. It can refill the gas itself.
So "flying" here means short, thruster-assisted jumps and controlled descents. It does not mean cruising through the sky. Several outlets made the same point in their coverage.
Price and dates
According to Engadget, a reservation costs $5,000 now, plus $45,000 within 10 days, for the base car. The version with the suction and thruster hardware costs $250,000 to reserve. The version that can jump and hover will only go to invited customers. Musk said production should start in 2028 (Shacknews).
Given the Roadster's history, treat 2028 as a target, not a promise.
Why it became a video trend
The stunts were short, impossible-looking and easy to share, which is ideal for short-form video. Within hours, people were making their own versions with AI: an ordinary car, often their own, jumping off a ramp or blasting out of a traffic jam. These AI clips are not real footage. If you want to tell them apart, read how to spot a real Roadster clip.
Make your own version
Flying Car AI puts you in the driver's seat. You get stuck in city traffic, hit a button on the dash, rockets fire and the car tumbles up between the skyscrapers. Upload a selfie and get a 10-second vertical video. See how it works, or open the template.
Flying Car AI is an independent creative tool. It isn't affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Tesla, SpaceX or any carmaker. "Tesla Roadster" is used here only to describe the news event.
Read more
4 Ways to Make a Flying Car Video, Compared
Template site, prompting a general AI video model, template editors or filming it yourself: what each needs, what you get, how much effort and what it costs.
Real or AI? How to Tell Tesla Roadster Footage from Flying Car AI Clips
A short checklist for spotting whether a flying car clip is real Roadster event footage or an AI video. Includes what the real car did, and didn't do.
How to Make a Flying Car AI Video from One Selfie
A step-by-step guide to the flying car clip: which photo to use, how to fly your own car, Fast vs Premium, what it costs and what you get.