Daily newsletter · Sat 17 Oct 2026
Tesla's Roadster finally flew, and the shares fell 2.13%
Tesla finally showed off its new Roadster on Thursday night, at SpaceX's test site in McGregor, Texas. The car flipped over a row of other Teslas on cold-gas thrusters and ran from 0 to 60mph in 0.81 seconds.
So why did the shares go backwards? Tesla opened Friday at US$369.04, 1.8% above Thursday's close. It then slid all day and closed at US$354.72, down 2.13%, with a low of US$349.33 along the way.
The demonstration was spectacular, and the details were thin. Production starts in 2028. Tesla has reopened reservations at US$50,000 but has not set a price for the car.
There are three versions. The two-seat Performance model is meant for the road, and the Thrust adds rear thrusters for the track. The single-seat Rocket, with thrusters around its edges for lift and sideways movement, is invite-only, and Tesla says it is not approved for public roads.
The Roadster was first shown in 2017, nine years before Thursday's demonstration. It still has no delivery date.
even at a premium price, a few thousand Roadsters would barely register for a company that sells cars by the million. What moves Tesla's shares over a year is how many ordinary cars it sells and what it earns on each one.
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General information and commentary only, not financial advice. It does not take account of your objectives, financial situation or needs, and reflects the author's own reading of public information at the time of writing, which may be wrong. Sharespective, its people and its clients may hold positions in the companies covered. Do your own research and talk to a licensed adviser.