The Tesla Roadster was originally teased a few years ago alongside the Tesla Semi. The next-gen Tesla Roadster’s official launch remains a mystery, even though Tesla already delivered the first Semi class-8 trucks to PepsiCo
When asked directly about updates on the next-gen Tesla Roadster, Elon Musk noted that it was a fair, reasonable question.
“We expect to complete the engineering and design of the next-gen Tesla Roadster this year,” he replied. “Hopefully, start production—and this is not a commitment—but hopefully start production next year.”
Over the years, the company has pointed out that the next-gen Roadster is not quite the priority, but it is a vehicle to be excited about. Musk reiterated these points during the 2023 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting.
“As you alluded to, [the Roadster is] not even the icing on the cake. It’s the cherry on the icing on the cake. [The next-gen Roadster] is definitely not going to be a huge contributor, it will be a modest contributor to profitability, but it will be sick,” Musk added.
Since the next-gen Roadster was first seen on the tarmac coming out of a Semi, Tesla has worked hard to grow as an EV maker in an auto industry dominated by fossil-fuel cars. Presently, Tesla has made a name for itself in the global automobile market and has influenced legacy OEMs to transition to electric—largely thanks to the Model 3 and Model Y’s performances and affordability.
Tesla has also added a lot to its plate recently, including Cybertruck production preparations, getting the all-electric class 8 Semi on the highway, and starting development on the humanoid robot Optimus. With so many challenges through the years—like the COVID pandemic and scaling production by establishing more gigafactories—new Tesla Roadster’s development has taken a back seat. But Tesla has clearly not abandoned the project.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla launches new Model S and Model X, and the changes are slim
Tesla’s newest versions of its flagship vehicles have arrived with some slim changes.

Tesla has officially launched the newest versions of its flagship Model S and Model X vehicles, but the changes are pretty slim, which is something we expected when a couple cars were spotted during public testing recently.
The new “refreshed” Model S and Model X were spotted recently by The Kilowatts, and the changes appeared to be a new front camera, a new color, and only a handful of other changes.
Tesla officially announced the launch of the Model S and Model X on Thursday night, and here’s what it listed as the changes to the two vehicles:
Model S & X are now even better – launching today in the US 🇺🇸
Highlights:
– Frost Blue paint color
– Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
– Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
– New… pic.twitter.com/i4PcEklOWj
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 13, 2025
- Frost Blue paint color
- Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
- Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
- New wheel designs & improved aerodynamics = more range
- Front fascia camera for better visibility
- Dynamic ambient lighting that brings unique animations along the dash & doors upon entry
- An even smoother ride thanks to new bushings & suspension design
- Adaptive driving beams
- New exterior styling for Model S Plaid, optimized for high-speed stability
- More space for 3rd row occupants & cargo (Model X)
We expected most of these changes, especially the new Frost Blue paint color, as it was spotted by The Kilowatts in its initial coverage of the cars being spotted a few weeks back. Here’s what it looks like officially:
Some of the changes are familiar from the Model Y Refresh, which featured the quieter interior through acoustic-lined glass, a front fascia camera, new bushings, and suspension improvements for a smoother ride.
However, Tesla did refine the Model S Plaid’s exterior for “optimized high-speed stability.” You can see the difference between the two below:
The front-end air diffusers are much deeper, and the front end is more boxy than the previous iteration of the Plaid Model S.
Here are some more images of the Model S that Tesla released in a teaser video:
- Credit: Tesla
Tesla sells such a low volume of the Model S and Model X that it was probably less than likely that the company would put endless manpower and effort into completely redesigning it. CEO Elon Musk said a few years ago that the two cars would only stay in production for “sentimental reasons.”
While they are very special to the Tesla family, they are not incredibly important to the mission of the company.
Elon Musk
Tesla owners across the globe prepare for Robotaxi launch with this neat customization
Tesla will eventually have Robotaxis worldwide. Some owners are already preparing.

Tesla owners are already preparing for the company’s launch of the Robotaxi platform with a new, neat customization that is appearing around the world.
On Tuesday, the first Tesla Robotaxi test mule was spotted in Austin, where the company will launch the first driverless rides of this ride-hailing service. At first, it will be a limited rollout, reserved for a select few. CEO Elon Musk said public rides could occur as soon as June 22.
First Tesla driverless robotaxi spotted in the wild in Austin, TX
However, the Tesla Robotaxi platform is not one that will be confined to cities and geofenced to certain areas.
Eventually, Tesla will gain enough confidence to roll the Full Self-Driving software straight to every car in the customer fleet that paid for it. Owners will be able to generate income for themselves while they sleep, as the cars will operate as ride-hailing vehicles for people to use for transportation.
In an effort to prepare for the launch of Robotaxi, Tesla owners across the globe are installing Tesla’s ‘Robotaxi’ word art on their cars.
Here’s one in South Korea:
🚨ROBOTAXIS SPOTTED IN 🇰🇷SOUTH KOREA TOO! $TSLA
It’s not official, just vinyl wraps, but you should sell these!pic.twitter.com/mViKuIV96P pic.twitter.com/fuYpvuOjic
— Tesla Archive (@tesla_archive) June 12, 2025
Here’s another in the U.S.:
🚀 Transform your ride into a vision of the future with our Robotaxi sticker set. 🌟
Your Tesla isn’t just a car—it’s a symbol of innovation and style. Be the trendsetter you were born to be and let your vehicle spark inspiring conversations wherever you go. ✨😎
Grab yours… pic.twitter.com/wTJPmnsO1X
— TESBROS (@teslabros) June 12, 2025
Obviously, this is more of a symbol of support for the Robotaxi launch, but many owners are recognizing that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software will extend to them the ability to use their personal cars as ride-hailing vehicles, becoming a part of the global fleet of self-driving chauffeurs.
These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving! https://t.co/n94ln0Uas6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2025
Elon Musk
Tesla sues former Optimus engineer for stealing trade secrets
Tesla is suing a former engineer who worked on Optimus after he left and immediately started a robotics company that achieved quick development of a hand.

Tesla is suing former Optimus engineer Jay Li in federal court after accusing him of stealing trade secrets and using them to enable a startup he founded after he left.
Li is accused of stealing confidential files and using them to help get his company, “Proception,” off to a rocking start. Tesla says the files Li took helped his new startup “shortcut the typical development process” for robot hands, something that took Tesla years to develop and evolve.
The company said in the complaint (via Reuters):
“Through Li’s pilfering, Defendant Proception purportedly achieved in a matter of months what it has taken Tesla over four years, hundreds of employees, and billions of dollars to achieve.”
Li was an employee at Tesla for several years, working on the Optimus sensor team from 2022 to 2024. The company says it utilized and devoted “extraordinary resources” to the development of Optimus, which has come a long way since its unveiling several years ago.
Tesla Optimus to receive hands with 22 degrees of freedom later this year
Li allegedly downloaded confidential files related to Optimus’ robotic hand movement research before departing the company. He did not work on the hands at the time. However, he left and swiftly started Proception, as the suit states the company was founded just six days after he left Tesla.
Proception was gloating about its ability to build robotic hands just five months after the company was founded. Tesla says the hands have “striking similarities” to its own design for Optimus.
The company is looking for monetary damages and a court order that would block Proception from misusing the secrets it accuses Li of taking.
This is not the first suit Tesla has filed over trade secrets and confidential information theft. Recently, it accused German-Canadian dual citizen Klaus Pflugbeil of stealing battery-related secrets. He was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison.
Men accused of selling Tesla battery secrets arrested in undercover sting
The U.S. Department of Justice used an undercover sting to arrest Pflugbeil.
Tesla is being represented by Josh Krevitt, Orin Snyder, and Angelique Kaounis of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
The case is Tesla Inc. v. Perception Inc., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 5:25-cv-04963.
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla to lose 64 Superchargers on New Jersey Turnpike in controversial decision
-
News4 days ago
I took a Tesla Cybertruck weekend Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
Elon Musk explains Tesla’s domestic battery strategy
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla lands on date for Robotaxi launch in Austin: report
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla’s apparent affordable model zips around Fremont test track
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla stock: Morgan Stanley says eVTOL is calling Elon Musk for new chapter
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Teslas will self-deliver to customers, Elon Musk says: here’s when
-
Elon Musk4 days ago
Tesla tops Cathie Wood’s stock picks, predicts $2,600 surge