Musk says Roadster now expected for 2023, assuming uneventful 2022
Roadster now delayed three years
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has just confirmed that the company’s next Roadster has been delayed once again. The exec announced the delay in his usual fashion, a reply to a tweet, yesterday, saying that the Roadster is pushed back to 2023, but it comes with a rather large “if” attached.
The first signs of the second Tesla Roadster came way back in 2017. When Musk revealed the new car, he said that it would arrive on the market in 2020. At the time, Tesla began taking deposits for the cars, requiring between $50,000 and $250,000 US. Not long after, the car was first delayed as he said it was not a priority for the automaker.
Last year, Musk hinted that the car, which was said to be able to hit 100 km/h in under two seconds and to have rocket-propelled thrusters for more speed and handling, would be delayed until 2022. Musk told Joe Rogan in an interview that the Tesla pickup took priority and that the truck was set for late 2021 so the Roadster would come later. The truck has since been pushed back until 2022.
Earlier this year, Musk tweeted that Tesla planned to finish engineering the Roadster this year, have a drivable car by late summer and start production in 2022.
2021 has been the year of super crazy supply chain shortages, so it wouldn’t matter if we had 17 new products, as none would ship.
Assuming 2022 is not mega drama, new Roadster should ship in 2023.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2021
The latest tweet puts the blame on supply chain shortages, saying that “it wouldn’t matter if we had 17 new products, as none would ship.” That doesn’t explain the push back to 2023, though, and Musk says that even 2023 is “assuming 2022 is not mega drama.” We’re not sure what qualifies as “mega drama”, but chances are it will not be an uneventful year.
So if you have a deposit on a Tesla Roadster, you may see your vehicle in 2023. Or you may not.
