After a two-week delay, the Tesla (TSLA) Roadster event is back – for now.
This week, Tesla added a countdown timer to its Tesla Roadster website, indicating that the reveal would take place at 7:55 p.m. CDT on October 15, two weeks after the original reveal date of October 1. Tesla said the reveal was pushed back due to weather conditions at the demonstration site, SpaceX’s Rocket Development and Test Facility (SPCX) in Waco, Texas. The event will be broadcast on Tesla’s X account.
Tesla stock fell nearly 2% in premarket trading Thursday.
367.16 -8.07 (-2.15%)
Closing: October 14 at 4:00:01 p.m. EDT
361.01 -6:15 a.m. (-1.68%)
Stormy weather would likely have hampered the Roadster’s hovering or flying ability. The Information reported several weeks ago that the October 1 reveal event could include a demonstration of a limited edition version of the Roadster equipped with cold gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX (SPCX), possibly including an airborne flight.
Tesla requires potential buyers to pay a $5,000 deposit, followed by a $45,000 bank transfer due within 10 days of the initial deposit.
Tesla hasn’t said how much the new Roadster will cost, although it’s expected to top $250,000. However, when Tesla announced the reveal time at 7:55 p.m. CDT on X.com, CEO Elon Musk responded, “Timing is everything,” suggesting that the numbers may have some significance.
Longtime analyst and Tesla bull Pierre Ferragu suggested it might have something to do with the price, then coyly announced the $75,990 figure. He then followed up with the idea that the Roadster event should start at “7:59:90.” Some have suggested that this could refer to the starting price of the base model of the car or to a particular track time achieved by the Roadster.
The original Roadster, released in 2008 and on sale until 2012, was Tesla’s first-ever electric vehicle and used a Lotus Elise chassis.
Tesla announced its successor in 2017, took reservations with these high deposits, and initially announced that deliveries would begin in 2020. The original reservation holders have been waiting quite a long time.
During his appearance at the All-In SummitMusk mentioned the Tesla Roadster.
“It’s going to be a banger. Excitement guaranteed. Success isn’t guaranteed, but excitement is,” he added, with All-In host Jason Calacanis saying he had seen a preview of the event and that the demo would “blow people’s minds.”
Pras Subramanian is a senior automotive reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow it X and on Instagram.
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