Tesla pushes Roadster to 2022 as Musk sets priorities

The new Tesla Roadster won’t hit the markets before 2022. That’s two years later than Elon Musk initially envisioned in 2017. The delay, however, is not due to the virus, officially but Tesla has too many other things on their plate.

All sounded perfect back in 2017 when Tesla not only presented the Semi truck but a re-edition of the iconic Roadster electric car as well. Back then, Musk promised prospective buyers they’d get their EV in 2020. This won’t happen. In a podcast, the Tesla boss now suggested that the Roaster will not be seen any time soon. While he did not set a new timeline, Musk prioritised other milestones, most of them will take until 2021. This then pushes the Roadster down the road to 2022. Musk told the host that the new Roadster is “the dessert” and that “everyone who has been waiting, they won’t be sorry”.

And indeed, Tesla has more pressing plans. These include ramping up production of the Model Y, which also entails the expansion of the Gigafactory in Shanghai. Then there is the Giga Berlin plant that has yet to start construction and of course the long-awaited start of production of the Semi Truck and the Cybertruck models. The latter requires its own Gigafactory and Tesla is currently deciding on a location.

Still, the Tesla CEO would not want interest to faint too much. He did confirm that SpaceX technology would make it into the Roadster 2, then preparing for a rocket-like thrust of 1.9 sec to 100 kph, or so it is believed. Musk did not add any new details though and would not comment on price. Back in 2017, the Roadster was to come in at about 200,000 dollars per piece.

However, Tesla is more busy concentrating on economies of scale. The latest quarterly figures showed the Model 3 outselling all other models. The same is true for the Chinese market. Tesla says they are experiencing very high demand since the beginning of May. Orders stand at a thousand units – per day. Staff suggest the increase in sales is driven by the latest price reduction that put the Tesla made in China back into the latest subsidy bracket.

Local media further suggest that demand for Giga Shanghai’s Model 3 is still strongest in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. However, Tesla electric car sales are gaining traction in third-tier cities in China, even though the company has no representation there. Consumers who don’t have direct access to experience centres have turned to Tesla’s online configurator to order the MIC Model 3.

Going back to the global perspective, Tesla is likely to announce yet another manufacturing project. Expect to hear about Tesla cell production on the Battery Day later this May. The company has already begun ordering battery making equipment as reported.

youtube.com (interview, podcast), electrek.co, tesmanian.com (MIC Model 3)