Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

The next generation Roadster: not coming any time soon...

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I think we will see a Model 3 coupe and convertible in 3-5 years. I would be surprised if we see another roadster in less than 10.

For most car companies, a sports car is the "halo" car to get attention and brand value. Tesla gets plenty of that as is. We won't see another roadster until the profits are consistently pouring in and Tesla can afford a vanity project.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dhrivnak
I think we will see a Model 3 coupe and convertible in 3-5 years. I would be surprised if we see another roadster in less than 10
I don't expect to ever see a Tesla convertible because there is very little market demand for that body style (a coupe seems more likely). I expect the next Roadster in less than 10 years because Elon clearly is personally motivated to build such a car, but knows that for the next several years Tesla has to focus on "mass market affordable" vehicles if the company is going to achieve its mission.
 
I think there will be a high performance Model 3 (P90DL) that will be plenty fast until Tesla comes out with their supercar

Agreed. A 2-door version, max out the battery / inverter / motor, put on some good tires. Make it a hatch back, of course. Sort of what the Acura Integra was to the Honda line.

But to the next Roadster, I do believe we will see one eventually. Once Tesla matures as a car company (assuming they do), they will need something to anchor the high end of the line.
 
I don't expect to ever see a Tesla convertible because there is very little market demand for that body style (a coupe seems more likely). I expect the next Roadster in less than 10 years because Elon clearly is personally motivated to build such a car, but knows that for the next several years Tesla has to focus on "mass market affordable" vehicles if the company is going to achieve its mission.

Convertible volumes ebb and flow quite a bit - but these days it is about 500K units/year worldwide.
 
I guess I will be hanging onto mine for A While. I still get immense joy from it and use it as a daily driver. I've sometimes wondered if the next Roadster, whenever it appears, will be true to the original's very pure (bordering on spartan) formula, or if it will have a ton of high-tech gadgetry piled in.

I also wonder when some other car maker will come up with a real response to it.
 
Convertible volumes ebb and flow quite a bit - but these days it is about 500K units/year worldwide.
In 2015 over 68,500,000 cars were produced. (Source Worldwide automobile production until 2015 | Statistic )

500,000 is 0.7% of that number, and that 500,000 includes convertibles that are coupes and 2-seater cars of various types.

So if Tesla would make, for example, a 4-seat 2-door convertible, they would only sell a very small number of them compared to how many 4-seat 2-door hardtops they could sell.

There is really no point in Tesla spending it's relatively limited resources designing and manufacturing a convertible car of any type.

One can of course point out (to get back onto the topic of this thread) that if Tesla built a new Roadster it would also sell relatively few of them compared to a mid-size sedan like the Model 3, and that is true. However a super quick and flashy sports car attracts a lot more attention to Tesla than a convertible coupe would. Of course Tesla has already built a super quick and flashy sports car -- the original Roadster -- for the very purpose of attracting attention to Tesla, and that is why Elon realizes and has acknowledged that at this time Tesla needs to focus on mass market affordable vehicles and postpone building a new version of the Roadster.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dhrivnak
Late to the thread, but those who chatted with me this weekend know that I was pretty bummed as well. My tagline "Maximum Plaid Member" has always been about the NG Roadster. I even have a garage for it.

Hopefully there's a wildly awesome 3 available.. or maybe I need to start shopping used Roadsters.
 
Hopefully there's a wildly awesome 3 available.. or maybe I need to start shopping used Roadsters.
I believe Elon has tweeted that there will be a Performance version of the Model 3 just as there is of the S and X, but the 3 is still a big car and won't have the feel of a Roadster.

Strongly recommend that you shop for a used Roadster, there are always a few for sale in the US. :D
 
Here's why I think Tesla will have a Roadster out by 2019 or 2020 at the latest.

If they don't, then we sports car people will buy something besides a Tesla, which is not what I want to do. But, I want a sports car to drive and I don't like gasoline engines anymore, not after my Ludicrous Model S, which I love. (I kind of like the current Roadster, even though I don't really like the looks of an Elise at all - too small and buggy looking. Also, I don't work on cars. It's just not my thing to turn wrenches. I am not good at this and don't have the time or tools or place. I always wound up with more parts than I started with when I put something back together. I guess if I got a Roadster I'd have to move in with an a combination electrician/mechanic's family or something like that -know what I mean? And when I read on this forum that the tech's at Tesla didn't know such and such about a Roadster, then I figured well what am I supposed to do when I don't even want to change a fuse - except I guess they don't even have those anymore, right? I just don't want something where I have to figure how everything works and get down and clean out leaves from an air duct, or try to figure out whey my red light is on when it should be my white light. When I was a kid and my dad worked on our old Ford T-Bird I was the kid holding something, like the brake pedal inside the car, and I held that thing man forever, cause I didn't want anybody dying cause of me. Then, like hours later they would all laugh at me - hey, are you still pressing down on that brake? Yeah, cause the last time I let up everybody screamed at me that Dad was under the car and you almost killed him by letting the car rock back off the jack stands or something.)

So, if Porsche or BMW or some other company comes out with a really fast and good looking sports car and Tesla is building heavy duty trucks or mass transit compact cars that look humbler than a billy goat, I will have no other choice if I want a sports car than to jump ship, which again I would hate to do cause I love Tesla the company, Musk, and all that, even drink the Kool Aid to be a part of the gang here. But, I'd keep my Model S and move up to a Porsche Mission E or a BMW i8 if it is all-electric, I don't know, but I am so disappointed right now I am downright desperate for something sportier than a four door all the time. Musk needs to tell us more about his Roadster plans. Why not?
 
If they don't, then we sports car people will buy something besides a Tesla, which is not what I want to do.

So very true. When i was car shopping two years ago, I could have bought an entry-level Model S for about the same price I paid for my used Roadster.

A lot of people have asked me why I didn't buy an S...it's more comfortable, newer technology, SuperCharger capable, etc. Simple answer...

I wanted a "sports car", not a "4-door, 7-passenger, family sedan".

There is nothing at all wrong with the Model S. It's a GREAT car...but it's not a "sports car" (even if the Ludicrous model is actually faster to 60 than my Roadster.)
 
I guess if I got a Roadster I'd have to move in with an a combination electrician/mechanic's family or something like that -know what I mean?
No I really do not know what you mean. The Tesla Roadster drivetrain is not "user repairable" in any meaningful sense. Sure there may be a few EV car whizzes out there who may be able to make some repairs, but I'll bet that if you could talk to every single current Roadster owner you might not find more than one or two owners who could diagnose and repair any of the possible drivetrain problems that might occur. You need to take the car to Tesla for repairs. Yes, at some Tesla Service Centers there may be only a few or even no service techs with actual Roadster repair experience because the cars are so uncommon, but Tesla will figure out how to fix the car.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jvonbokel
Also late to the thread and super sad to hear what Elon said at the gigafactory event.

But I also just keep thinking about what he said in the press release/call when they just launched Ludicrous mode (July 2015). He said:

"There is of course only one thing beyond ludicrous, but that speed is reserved for the next generation Roadster in 4 years: maximum plaid."

Maybe the next 2 door Tesla sportscar is still in the works, but it's delayed a bit. I have a feeling that we will see it, but not until early next decade sometime. I really don't think Elon will let our dream die, especially since he himself is a true car enthusiast (i.e., McClaren F1, Porsche 911 Turbo, Jaguar E-Type.)

Elon is one of us guys! Don't lose hope! :)
 
Here's why I think Tesla will have a Roadster out by 2019 or 2020 at the latest.

... Musk needs to tell us more about his Roadster plans. Why not?

Because he is the CEO of an unprofitable public company. He has a legal obligation to act in the best interest of his shareholders. By 2018, former and current Roadster owners will be less than 0.1% of the Tesla customer base. The overall 2-seat convertible market is no more than 1% of the total automobile market. He has to prioritize development opportunities based on the short term and long term value to shareholders. That is legally his only option. I would be shocked if there is any reasonable analysis that would put a new roadster in the top 10 opportunities based on that criteria.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mark77a and ohmman
@Andrew Wolfe
Sounds to me like that's your criteria, not Tesla. Why don't we just take Elon Musk at his word. He said a Roadster was coming out, just doesn't have an exact date. Plus, a sports car is a great showcase of a car company's styling and performance capabilities. Ford has a GT and won LeMans with it. Tesla is going racing. Chevrolet has a Corvette. Audi has their incredible R8 super car in their fleet. BMW and Mercedes have sports cars, even Dodge has a Viper. Tesla needs one, too. Musk has admitted they should have started from the ground up instead of an Elise tub.

#ecarfan
There's a lot more than drivetrain problems that need fixed on a Roadster. The people on this forum are incredibly resourceful to diagnose and fix a whole range of problems on Roadsters. I am amazed to read what these owners can do. Why did you put "user repairable" in quotes?
 
  • Like
Reactions: omarsultan
Sure that Model 3 version will be very quick, but it is in no way a sports car. The Model 3 is a mid-size car, just a foot shorter than the Model S and a few inches narrower, and it seats 5 adults. It's a big car.

A "Roadster" is, by definition, a small 2-seater with a removable or retractable top. It's small. It's nimble, it's really really fast. The potential market for it is much smaller than any kind of sedan, and that is why it is not an "affordable mass market car" which is what Elon clearly knows Tesla has to focus on producing, for now.

This is a fair point - maybe "roadster" is the wrong term. Perhaps something like the R8 which has a wheelbase within 6" of the A4. As the EV market becomes more crowded over the next few years (yay), I do think Tesla will need a halo car to keep the public's attention, even if it ends up being a limited production something.
 
If we have machines-that-build-machines who knows what will happen/be possible in 5 years' time.

I'm sure Elon would love to do a Steve Jobs "one more thing" announcement and maybe that will happen. It'll be funny. The internet will melt. But at present, because the technology is all so new and evolving at a crazy rate, Tesla can't justify a low-volume vehicle to play the role of engineering showcase.

The upgrading of the S, the X, the imminent 3, the future higher volume vehicles - these are the showcases.

And in some instances, yes that does make some of the advancements as temperamental and challenging as Italian sports cars. For both manufacturer and driver. Even though sadly, none of them actually is a sports car.