Tesla Roadster fans and Tesla employees are equally delighted when they spotted the next-generation Roadster at the Hawthorne Delivery Center last weekend. The Tesla reservation holders spotted the next-generation Roadster about which Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that it would be a ‘hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars’ as they were waiting to pick up their cars on Sunday. The fully operational prototype Roadster was the same car used to film the recent segment of Jay Leno’s Garage where the TV host interviewed Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen. It was also the same car which was used to launch the Roadster originally.
? So sexy ? #Tesla #Roadster #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/JeFkxGlxrC
— Christopher Stanley ? (@cstanley) October 2, 2018
The unveiling of the Roaster saw it emerged from the back of Tesla Semi during a big Tesla media event last year. European Tesla fans who were lucky to be at the Grand Basel Auto Show in Switzerland in September got to see the Roadster’s non-functioning model. The car was painted in white, and it looked beautiful among all other elite vehicles.
Are you lucky enough to be picking your Tesla up at Hawthorne CA today? If so check out this #NextGenRoadster on display, and may be Elon or Franz will help deliver your car! Pics courtesy of Carlos R. pic.twitter.com/Kp1gbDp4mz
— TheTeslaLife (@TheTeslaLife) October 1, 2018
The Tesla Roadster will not be produced in mass quantities like the Model 3, but the all-electric sports car is expected to make a splash in the market when it gets there. The buyers in Europe who have options to choose between top car brands might be tempted by the high performing Tesla purely on price point. Musk said that he expects the car to cost around $200,000 when it will reach the market and will be $100,000 less than other mid-level supercars like the McLaren 720S and the Ferrari 812 Superfast which cost around $300,000. Tesla said that the Roadster would be able to hit 0-60mph in a time of 1.9 seconds thanks to its three electric motors.
The car is expected to have a top speed of at least 250 mph and have a range of 620 miles per charge. Musk said that Roadster is not a priority right now since Tesla is currently focusing on getting the Model 3 production car issue sorted. It is expected though that Tesla Roadster finds a willing audience in Europe and other strong electric vehicle markets like China.