Musk delays Tesla Roadster – Model Y, Cybertruck first

Makes business sense, this. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that the new Tesla Roadster will be put at the back of the new model queue, behind the Model Y SUV and the Cybertruck. He said this in a podcast interview with stand-up comic Joe Rogan that was released yesterday, covered by Reuters.

When Rogan asked Musk when he could buy a Roadster, the Tesla boss responded he could not provide a date, but said other projects, such as a ramp-up in production of the Model Y SUV (a crossover version of the Model 3, smaller than the Model X) and the construction of a Gigafactory in Berlin, Germany were bigger priorities.

“Roadster is kind of like dessert. We gotta get the meat and potatoes and greens and stuff,” Musk said, adding that Tesla should also roll out the Cybertruck first before working on the sports car.

To recap, the second-generation Tesla Roadster was announced in November 2017. Musk has in the past said that Roadster sales would begin after a revised version of the Model S sedan is released, which was widely expected to be at the end of 2020. Dessert will now be served much later.

The performance figures quoted by Tesla were rather amazing. Powered by a 200-kWh battery pack, the all-wheel-drive four-seater sports car is claimed to do 0 to 97 km/h (0-60 mph) in just 1.9 seconds, while 0 to 160 km/h (0-100 mph) takes 4.2 seconds. Top speed is over 402 km/h (250 mph), while the quarter mile sprint is despatched in 8.8 seconds, faster than anything from Fast & Furious.

Not fast enough? Throw in some rocket thrusters from the SpaceX option that will “improve acceleration, top speed, braking and cornering.” On the other end of the electric spectrum, one full charge yields a range of over 1,000 km. Of course, Tesla is yet to prove those claims, and with this latest development, it should be awhile more before they have to do so.

Click on these links for more on the Tesla Roadster, Tesla Model Y and the most recent hyped up upcoming model from the electric car specialist – the wild-looking Cybertruck.

GALLERY: Tesla Roadster

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