Tesla Unveils ‘Flying Car’ That Can Flip Through the Air

Tesla has unveiled a new version of its Roadster electric sports car with technology designed to propel it briefly into the air, prompting Elon Musk to describe the vehicle as a flying car despite questions over its practical capabilities and when it will reach customers.

The demonstration took place on Thursday, October 15, at a SpaceX testing facility in Texas, where the driverless prototype climbed a steep ramp, briefly travelled upside down using a suction system, then launched into the air, flipped and landed on its wheels. Tesla also demonstrated the vehicle jumping over a line of parked cars, using technology developed with Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX.

Musk later declared on his social media platform X that “the future does have flying cars”, while describing the Roadster as a combination of the engineering capabilities of Tesla and SpaceX. During the event, he said the vehicle uses ultra-high-pressure air tanks and a series of thrusters to propel itself, allowing it to perform aerial manoeuvres as well as accelerate rapidly on the ground.

The demonstration showed the vehicle making short airborne movements rather than sustained or long-distance flight. That distinction matters because a car capable of briefly lifting off the ground is not the same as an aircraft able to fly independently over meaningful distances. The prototype’s performance has not yet established how its flight system would work in ordinary driving conditions or whether the technology could be used safely and legally outside controlled demonstrations.

Tesla says the Roadster can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than one second, an extraordinary performance claim that has not yet been independently verified. The company has not announced a final price for the newly demonstrated vehicle, and Musk said production for customers is not expected to begin until 2028. The Roadster’s second generation has been delayed for years after being announced in 2017, making the latest event another milestone in a project that has yet to reach mass production.

The flying capability is tied to a specialized version of the vehicle. Tesla’s reservation information describes a “Rocket” configuration with a full flight system, available by invitation and designed for one occupant, while other versions are described as road-oriented performance models. The company’s own terms state that the rocket feature is not approved for public-road use, highlighting the regulatory barriers that would have to be addressed before such a system could be used in everyday transport.

The unveiling also arrives as Tesla continues to pursue several major technology ambitions, including autonomous driving and robotaxis, while facing pressure to turn ambitious product announcements into commercially available products. The Roadster is intended to be a high-performance electric sports car, but its rocket-assisted system sets it apart from conventional electric vehicles and introduces engineering, safety and certification challenges beyond those associated with road performance alone.

For now, the demonstration offers a glimpse of an unusual vehicle concept rather than evidence that flying cars are ready for everyday use. Whether the Roadster’s brief airborne manoeuvres can be developed into a practical, certifiable product will depend on further engineering and regulatory work, while its announced 2028 production target remains a future plan rather than a confirmed delivery date.