When Tesla unveiled its (TSLA) planned roadster in 2017, it rolled onstage in deep red with rock-and-roll blaring, CEO Elon Musk setting a target of 2020 for its availability. That didn’t happen, but on Tuesday Musk said it could arrive next year.
“We’ve completed most of the engineering, and I think there are still some upgrades we want to make to it, but we expect to be in production with the Roadster next year,” Musk said during a conference call with investors last night, a transcript of which was provided by AlphaSense.
The roadster has ambitious specs: The company is advertising a race to 60 miles per hour in under two seconds, more than 600 miles of range, a top speed above 250 miles per hour and seats for four. A reservation costs $50,000, with the vehicle expected to cost several times that.
Musk had earlier this year said to expect an “unveiling” this year and a goal of shipping vehicles in 2025.
The roadster news was part of a raft of updates Musk and Tesla offered Tuesday following the announcement of its latest quarterly results.
Tesla stock was recently down more than 10% in Wednesday trading, with the shares extending their move back into the red for 2024 after recently moving back above that line.