Tesla shows Roadster that can briefly fly with SpaceX thrusters
Tesla has demonstrated a Roadster fitted with SpaceX thrusters that can drive upside down and make short flights, but it is not road-approved and production is planned for 2028.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Tesla has unveiled a redesigned version of its Roadster sports car, which it says can fly using thrusters developed with SpaceX. The two-seater was shown at an event in Texas, and footage posted by Elon Musk showed it driving up a vertical ramp, moving upside down and then landing after a short flight. Musk invited a crowd to watch in an effort to prove the demonstration was not AI-generated.
The car is fitted with high-pressure air tanks, cold-jet rocket thrusters and a suction system from SpaceX. Tesla says the Roadster can accelerate from zero to 60mph in less than a second and reach a top speed of 230mph. It is due to enter production in 2028. The car could cost around £1m, and Musk admits it may never be legal to drive to the shops.
The demonstration was not a full flight. The vehicle travelled up a curved ramp before flipping in the air and landing safely. There was no driver inside. Experts described it as an impressive piece of engineering but questioned its practicality. One calculated that its flight time would probably be about six seconds, and another said the cold-air thrusters were an inefficient way to store energy. The car is not approved for road use, and Musk himself has accepted it was not built with safety as the priority.
Questions remain about how a flying car would be regulated. A motoring journalist said the prototype was an achievement, but turning it into a real-world vehicle would be a challenge. If something goes wrong in the air, the vehicle could fall to the ground, and it would be subject to air traffic rules rather than only road traffic law. There are also safety concerns about carrying compressed gas on board, with one contributor warning that accidents could be catastrophic.
The roadster has drawn comparisons with film flying cars such as Back to the Future's DeLorean, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Blade Runner. Some coverage treated the reveal as a spectacle and a possible glimpse of the future. Others were sceptical, noting that Musk has made spectacular promises before, including an underground high-speed passenger system and colonising Mars. Supporters pointed to successful Musk ventures such as Starlink and PayPal. For now, the Roadster remains a prototype: it can perform short hops and unusual manoeuvres, but it is not a practical flying car and it is not cleared for the road.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels | ||||||
| Tesla revealed a new Roadster with thrusters and a suction system that allows it to cling to a vertical ramp and hover safely to the ground. | Not reported by GB News | |||||
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| Tesla plans to begin production of the Roadster in 2028. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |||
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| GB News described a vehicle as Elon Musk's new flying car and noted that it does not actually fly. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Musk stated that the Roadster was not safe. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| No driver or human was inside the car during the demonstration. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Safety concerns were raised about the flying car, including compressed gas on board and potentially catastrophic accidents. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Roadster was developed with SpaceX, and Tesla claims it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under one second. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News treated the reveal as a short news item and then a panel talking point. Its first report stressed the thrusters, suction system and 2028 production date, while its later segment framed the car as a polarising novelty, with presenters mocking it as unnecessary and others calling the innovation incredible.
- “what you're looking at there is not AI. It is in fact the new Tesla Roadster, which is equipped with thrusters and a suction system”
- “Tesla claims that the car, which was developed alongside Musk's rocket company SpaceX, can go from zero to 60 miles an hour in less than a second.”
- “Flying pillocks, who asked for that? Nobody, right?”
Channel 4 gave the story a brief, straight news summary. It focused on the Texas event, the two-seater design, the upside-down manoeuvre, SpaceX collaboration, top speed and 2028 production date.
- “Tesla has unveiled a redesigned Roadster car, which Elon Musk says can fly.”
- “At an event in Texas, the two-seater vehicle drove upside down, turned, then landed using inbuilt thrusters developed in collaboration with his rocket company SpaceX.”
- “It can reach a top speed of 230 miles an hour and is due to enter production in 2028.”
5 News framed the clip as something viewers should judge for themselves. Its lunchtime bulletin highlighted the claim that flying cars are real, while its later programme brought in a motoring journalist to test whether the demo was a stunt or a step towards real flying cars.
- “Finally have a look at this and make up your own mind whether it's real”
- “The vehicle traveled up a huge curved ramp and then flipped in the air before landing safely”
- “I think it's a real achievement in terms of engineering and design and technology. But to actually translate all of that into the real world is going to be quite a challenge.”
BBC ONE West ran a sceptical package that treated the Roadster as an engineering spectacle with limited practicality. It highlighted expert doubts, a six-second flight estimate, the lack of road approval, the absence of a driver and Musk's own admission that the car was not safe.
- “All right, you're gonna see some crazy stuff tonight. You've never seen a car do this before, except in the movies.”
- “A dazzling feat of engineering, but perhaps not the most efficient, say experts.”
- “Elon Musk is very good at making spectacular promises that don't always come true.”
ITV1 mixed wonder with caution. It called the car 'not quite full flying', noted the short distance, raised legal and safety questions, and compared the machine with film flying cars while suggesting it could cost around £1m.
- “Not quite full flying, but unlike anything we've seen from a major car maker before, as is the fact it can drive upside down.”
- “He says the car will be available to the public. Whether it will be legal is a different question.”
- “Where we're going we don't need roads.”
GB News turned the story into a lively panel reaction. It called the footage mind-blowing and 'cool' while also conceding the car does not really fly, and used the item to debate innovation and whether such technology is needed.
- “This was mind-blowing. I saw it last night when I got home from work. And this was Elon Musk's new flying car.”
- “It is so cool, but it's not really a flying car.”
- “The future is here. I would absolutely love one.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.