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'Well, it worked': Elon Musk unveils new Tesla Roadster that can fly

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Cite

Rennolds, N. (2026, October 16). 'Well, it worked': Elon Musk unveils new Tesla Roadster that can fly. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/16/well-it-worked-elon-musk-unveils-new-tesla-roadster-that-can-fly

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Euronews · collected 2026-10-16 · by Nathan Rennolds

Quick Summary

Elon Musk demonstrated the new Tesla Roadster at a livestreamed event, showcasing its ability to perform acrobatic maneuvers including flying upside down and doing mid-air flips with the help of SpaceX technology. The car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under one second and has a range exceeding 300 miles with a top speed over 230 mph for the Rocket version. Musk emphasized that these capabilities were visible proof rather than simulated by artificial intelligence or software illusions.
Written by AI on 2026-10-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 15, 2026, Tesla unveiled its redesigned next-generation Roadster at SpaceX's testing facility in McGregor, Texas. The new model features rocket thrusters and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second. During the demonstration, the two-seater vehicle drove upside down on a ramp using suction and then flipped mid-air before landing safely with its built-in thrusters. Although initially previewed nearly nine years ago, Tesla aims to start production by 2028. Despite its high cost of $200,000 per unit and reservations priced at $50,000, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has downplayed the car's financial impact on the company. However, analysts see it as a symbol showcasing Tesla’s advanced technology.

Written for “Tesla Unveils Flying Roadster” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 21 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Tesla Unveils Flying Roadster
Technology · 22 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
13%
2 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
60/100
Euronews's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
22
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-16 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Euronews · 1182 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 1 correction(s)
2026-10-01
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Who wrote this

Nathan Rennolds
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🔮 Because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe."
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 57 articles by Nathan Rennolds →

Topics

Performance Roadster Rocket SpaceX Tesla

Subjects

Tesla ORG · 7× Musk PERSON · 5× Elon Musk PERSON · 1× Lars Moravy PERSON · 1× SpaceX ORG · 1×

Narrative

Musk added that the Roadster has "altitude control thrusters and main thrusters in the rear, so it can basically fly like a rocket." "It can do rolls, it can do crazy gymnastics," he said, whilst joking that it was "not necessarily a safety optimised car."
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-16
🔮 Because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe."
2026-10-16 · Euronews
'Well, it worked': Elon Musk unveils new Tesla Roadster that can fly · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 2 hedged)

Musk said the Roadster has "altitude control thrusters and main thrusters in the rear, so it can basically fly like a rocket." asserted
it → say → rocket
Tech billionaire Elon Musk gave Tesla fans an up-close look at the electric vehicle maker's latest and perhaps most ambitious project on Thursday night - the long-awaited Tesla Roadster. asserted
Musk → give → night
"We need an audience to prove that it's not AI or SI," Musk told the crowd at the livestreamed event. asserted
Musk → need → event
"So, you guys can tell people that you saw it with your eyes. asserted
you → tell → eyes
Because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe." asserted
you → see → eyes
In a dramatic demonstration, the Roadster - Tesla's only manually driven car - then drove up a towering, curved ramp, going upside down before launching off the end, flipping in mid-air, and landing safely back on the ground as the audience cheered. asserted
audience → drive → ground
"Well, it worked," Musk said. asserted
Musk → work → ?
According to Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, who was presenting alongside Musk, the Roadster uses a "fan suction system" on the underside of the vehicle that he said can "pull up to 2 Gs in order to make the car go upside down. uncertain
car → accord → Gs
"Then we borrowed some technology from SpaceX to do the rest," he said. asserted
he → borrow → rest
Musk added that the Roadster has "altitude control thrusters and main thrusters in the rear, so it can basically fly like a rocket." "It can do rolls, it can do crazy gymnastics," he said, whilst joking that it was "not necessarily a safety optimised car." asserted
it → add → gymnastics
A second demonstration then put that claim to the test, with the car driving up to a row of other Tesla vehicles before firing into the air and doing a "kickflip" over them. uncertain
car → put → them
Another display showed the Roadster accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in under one second. asserted
Roadster → show → second
Tesla's website shows the company is now taking reservation orders for the car, with three variants available - Performance, Thrust, and Rocket. asserted
variants → show → car
The Rocket version is listed as invite only. asserted
version → list → invite
The Roadster has a range of more than 300 miles and a top speed of over 230 mph (Rocket version), per Tesla. asserted
Roadster → have → Tesla
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