Tesla's Design Chief Says the New Roadster Is Coming 'Very Soon' — We've Heard That Before

If you've been waiting on the next-generation Tesla Roadster, you got another breadcrumb this week — and not much else. Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen appeared on the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage and, as the episode wrapped, Leno mentioned he was "eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new Roadster." Von Holzhausen's answer: "Yes, very soon."

Leno, sounding skeptical, asked again. Same answer: "Very soon." Leno's deadpan reply — "10 years… just shy of 10 years" — did the rest of the work.

What Was Actually Said (and What Wasn't)

That exchange is the entire news event. No date. No specs. No fresh details. Just "very soon" from the man who has run Tesla design for coming up on 18 years.

There's some irony in the setting, too. Von Holzhausen wasn't on the show to talk Tesla at all — he was there showing off his 400-horsepower V8-swapped Pontiac Solstice, a gas car he designed at GM two decades ago. "I'm a Tesla guy, but the sound sounds pretty good," he told Leno.

Why Nobody's Marking a Calendar

Here's the context behind Leno's laugh. Tesla unveiled the Roadster prototype in November 2017 with production promised for 2020. Since then, per Electrek's timeline, the target has moved again and again:

• 2020 production, then "12-18 months" out, then 2022, then 2023, then 2024
• February 2024: Elon Musk promised a production unveil by year-end with deliveries in early 2025 — none of it happened
• November 2025: Musk set a demo date of April 1, 2026 (April Fools' Day), a date he admitted gave him "deniability"
• That slipped to "late April," then "a month or so" on the Q1 earnings call, then August

It's August now, and nothing has happened. Electrek counts it as eight delays and counting. Even if this latest "very soon" pans out, what we'd get is a demo — the second in roughly a decade. Actual production would likely land closer to 2027 or 2028.

The current holdup, according to the report, is the SpaceX "cold gas thruster" package Musk has teased for years, internally called "A71." Tesla and SpaceX reportedly showed Musk an early prototype in late April, and it still wasn't ready for a public showcase, which pushed the reveal to August.

The original pitch: 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a 250-mph top speed, and 620 miles of range, starting at $200,000. Founders Series reservation holders put down $250,000 nearly a decade ago. They're still waiting.

What This Means If You Drive a Tesla Today

The practical takeaway is simple: the Roadster is not a product you can plan around. The Teslas in your driveway right now — Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X, Cybertruck — are the ones worth investing in. And unlike a hypercar demo date, upgrades to the car you already own actually arrive.

• Charging that keeps up with real life. A quality home charging setup, plus the right adapters in the trunk, does more for your daily ownership experience than any 1.9-second 0-60 claim ever will.
• Interior protection. Floor mats, trunk and frunk liners, and screen protectors keep resale value intact on a car you'll likely own for years longer than you planned in 2017.
• Roadside and safety gear. A tire repair kit, jump pack, and emergency kit are the accessories you're most grateful for on the one day you need them.
• Comfort upgrades. Center console organizers, phone mounts, and sunshades are small purchases that change how the car feels every single drive.

The Bottom Line

To be fair to von Holzhausen, he's a designer, not the executive who sets production timelines — and an offhand answer on a talk show isn't a Tesla press release. But that's precisely the problem. "Very soon" is the only thing anyone at Tesla ever offers on the Roadster, and it's become the punchline. Leno didn't even need to write the joke; he just repeated the timeline back and let it sit there.

A refreshed Roadster reveal probably will happen eventually. Whether the hundreds of long-time supporters holding $250,000 reservations get keys anytime soon is a very different question. Until then, the smart move is the one Tesla owners have been making all along: make the EV you actually drive as good as it can be.