New Tesla Roadster delayed
US car-maker's owner says pure-electric sports car will take a backseat to development of CybertruckElon Musk has confirmed the 400km/h Tesla Roadster will not be launched this year, despite telling investors and potential buyers the battery-powered sports car would be on sale in 2020.
Speaking in an interview with comedian Joe Rogan, the Tesla chief executive could not say when the new Tesla Roadster would be available following a decision by the car-maker to focus on other initiatives including tackling the COVID-19, ramping up production of the Model Y and constructing a new manufacturing facility near Berlin in Germany.
“Roadster is kind of like dessert,” Musk said. “We gotta get the meat and potatoes and greens and stuff.”
As well as the Model Y, the controversial Tesla owner said the wedge-shaped Cybertruck would now be launched ahead of the Roadster, suggesting that production of the electric hypercar will not arrive until 2022, at the earliest.
When it was revealed back in 2017, Musk said the second-generation Tesla Roadster would deliver mind-blowing performance, even compared to established hypercars like the Bugatti Chiron.
Tesla claimed it would have a top speed 'in excess' of 400km/h, hit 100km/h in two seconds and complete the quarter-mile (403m) in just 8.9sec.
It said it automatically become the world's fastest production car when it arrived, but would cover 1000km between charges.
Back in 2017, Tesla asked -- and merrily took -- deposits of $US45,000 ($A69,000) to secure the Roadster at its special $US250,000 ($A383,000) launch price ahead of the car's promised release in 2020.
It's not known if the deposits are refundable or transferable to other products.
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