Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Thursday that the company will reveal the production version of its second-generation Roadster supercar on April 1, 2026. This date comes nearly nine years after he first revealed the project. Musk, who is known for missing deadlines, explained during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting that he chose April Fools’ Day in part because it offers some deniability. He noted that if the car is late, he could simply say he was just kidding.
Revealing the production version next year is itself a delay. Just one week ago, Musk appeared on a podcast and repeated his claim that he wanted to show off the car by the end of this year. Musk stressed that the car will be very different from what was shown previously. He again teased that the demonstration will be the most exciting demo ever of any product, whether it works or not. This is a clear reference to his years-long ambition to make the new Roadster fly in some fashion, possibly using thrusters built by SpaceX.
Musk went on to say that he believes the second-generation Roadster will not go into production until 12 to 18 months after the April reveal. During the question and answer portion of the meeting, one shareholder asked if customers who pre-ordered the Founders Series version of the new Roadster could be invited to the reveal event. Those customers paid $250,000 to secure special versions of the car back in 2017. Musk agreed, saying it was the least the company could do for its long-suffering Roadster reservation holders.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was one of those long-time reservation holders who recently attempted to cancel his reservation. He initially failed to get a refund for the long-promised electric vehicle. Earlier this month, Altman posted a series of screenshots on X showing his initial reservation, his request for a refund of the $50,000 reservation fee, and his email bouncing back. He wrote that he was really excited for the car and understands delays, but that seven and a half years felt like a long time to wait.
Musk, who has openly sparred with Altman for years, responded by going on the attack. Musk wrote that Altman forgot to mention act four, where the issue was fixed and he received a refund within 24 hours. Musk added that this is in Altman’s nature.