Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the company's annual shareholder meeting that Tesla will release the production version of the second-generation Roadster supercar on April 1, 2026, which is April Fool's Day. It’s been nearly nine years since the project debuted.
Musk is known for his frequent "delays". He admitted at the meeting that he chose April Fool's Day because "it gives myself some leeway." If another delay occurs, "I can say that I was just joking." In fact, this means another delay - just a week ago, Musk claimed on the Joe Rogan podcast that he planned to show off the new car before the end of the year.
Musk emphasized that the new Roadster "will be very different from the models previously shown" and once again predicted that the relevant demonstration will be "the most exciting in history, whether successful or not," implying that he has been trying to give the new Roadster some kind of flight capability for many years, and may even install thrusters built by SpaceX.
According to Musk, mass production of the second-generation Roadster is expected to start within 12 to 18 months after its release in April 2026.
During the shareholder Q&A session, some investors asked whether customers who had pre-ordered the "Founders Series" Roadster could be allowed to participate in the press conference. These customers paid $250,000 in 2017 to reserve special edition new cars. Musk replied, "Of course, this is the minimum feedback to Roadster reservation holders who have been patiently waiting for a long time."
It is worth noting that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also one of these pre-orderers who has been waiting for many years. He recently tried to cancel the reservation and hoped to get his $50,000 deposit refunded, but initially failed to do so. Altman posted a "three-act" experience on social platform Altman lamented, "I'm really looking forward to this car! I understand the delay, but waiting seven and a half years is really too long."
Musk later responded publicly, saying, "You forgot to mention the fourth act: the problem was solved and you received the refund within 24 hours." He also said that this was Altman's "characteristic".