Musk: Only Future Tesla Roadster Will Keep Manual Driving; Mass Production Still in Design Phase

During Tesla's latest earnings call, Elon Musk stated that, in the long term, Tesla’s entire product lineup will transition to autonomous vehicles of various sizes, with the only model still requiring human driving being the upcoming new Roadster. This positioning indicates that the Roadster is no longer merely Tesla’s performance flagship but has become a symbolic halo vehicle reserved specifically for customers who desire manual driving. Despite this, the Roadster project—first unveiled in 2017—has faced multiple delays. Originally slated for launch in 2020, it was scheduled for a demonstration on April 1, 2024, which ultimately did not take place as planned. According to Tesla’s latest shareholder filings, the Roadster’s production facility status remains “pending,” and the project as a whole is still in the “design and development phase.” Musk noted that extensive testing and validation must be completed before the vehicle’s official public debut to ensure a compelling showcase, predicting it would become “one of the most exciting product launches in history.”