Elon Musk delays Tesla Roadster 2 reveal to April Fools’ Day — here’s why

Tesla has pushed back the long-awaited reveal of its second-generation Roadster once again.

The Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, announced during the company’s annual shareholder meeting that the production-ready Roadster 2 will finally be unveiled on April 1, 2026, nearly nine years after he first introduced the project.

Musk admitted that he chose "April Fools’ Day" deliberately, joking that the date allows him “some deniability” if the car is delayed yet again.

“I could just say I was kidding,” he said, acknowledging his long history of missed timelines.

The announcement contradicts claims Musk made just last week on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he insisted the car’s reveal would happen before the end of this year.

According to Musk, the new Roadster will be “very different from what was shown previously,” hinting once more that the demo could be the “most exciting product unveiling ever, whether it works or not.”

The upcoming car is not expected to go into production until 12 to 18 months after the April 2026 reveal, meaning deliveries could slip into 2027 or later.

During the Q&A session, Musk agreed to invite “Founders Series” reservation holders, customers who paid $250,000 upfront in 2017, to the reveal event.

Among them is OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who recently tried to cancel his own reservation after waiting 7.5 years. 

Altman initially failed to get his $50,000 deposit refunded, sparking a public spat with Musk.

The tech billionaire later accused Altman of leaving out “Act 4,” claiming the refund was processed within 24 hours.