Tesla unveiled its new Roadster on 15 October 2026 (US time) at an event near Waco, Texas, nearly nine years after the first prototype appeared in 2017, and Tesla Thailand's site is now taking reservations. To be clear up front, everything here comes from Tesla's official pages and news reports. Nobody on our team has seen or sat in the car.
178,000 baht is only step one
With Performance selected, the Thai reservation page asks for 178,000 baht today, described as a fully refundable order deposit. Another 1,598,000 baht is due within 10 days, or the reservation may be cancelled. That makes 1,776,000 baht in total, and it isn't the price of the car. The structure mirrors the US one: $5,000 up front, then $45,000 within 10 days, for a $50,000 reservation. Thai outlets report 8,873,000 baht for Thrust. Rocket is invitation only, and every version is left-hand drive. Read the refund terms before sending the second payment; the page also says modifications are non-refundable.
Three versions, three levels of crazy
Performance has two seats, active aero and a multi-mode suction system, and Tesla calls it road-ready. Thrust is a limited run that adds rear cold-gas thrusters; the specs on the Thai page are for this version, 0–100 km/h in under 1 second. Rocket has one seat and thrusters all around. Tesla's page says "yes, this car flies", but a footnote on the same page says it isn't approved for public roads and may not be offered in every region. International outlets report Tesla's 0–60 mph claims as under 1.6, 0.9 and 0.59 seconds by version. Range is over 300 miles, with no test standard given. Top speed is over 230 mph, which Electrek says applies to Rocket only.
Tesla's official film: Roadster | The Last Best Driver's Car
Stuck to the ceiling with rocket hardware
Fans and a ground seal create suction that Tesla claims can hold the car upside down even when it's standing still. The cold-gas thrusters use all-electric actuators that Tesla says make micro-adjustments "while hovering". At the reveal the car climbed an inverted ramp, flipped in mid-air and landed, and Tesla claimed a live 0.81-second 0–60 mph run after timer trouble. None of these figures has been independently tested.
The Ano White paint takes its cue from rocket coatings, the gold-tinted glass mimics a spacesuit visor, the headlamps are hidden and the tail light runs the full width.
The Ultrawhite cabin uses grey Microsuede, and weight is kept down with manual controls, fixed seats, magnesium, titanium and carbon fibre.
What is still a promise
There's no full price yet. The $200,000 starting price from 2017 hasn't been confirmed for this car. Tesla says production starts in 2028, but in 2017 it promised deliveries in 2020, along with 0–60 in 1.9 seconds and about 620 miles of range. The car has slipped repeatedly since, and today's range claim is less than half the old figure. Customers who reserved in 2017 still haven't received a car. Electrek also notes that Tesla has said nothing about road use for Thrust, even though it carries thrusters. And Elon Musk has said on a podcast that "safety is not the main goal."
Our take
In our opinion (based on Tesla's page and the reporting, not a drive), this is the most eye-popping car demo of the year. But the 1,776,000 baht due within 10 days buys a place in line for a car with no full price and a planned 2028 production start. Unless you're that committed, waiting for a real price and a real production car costs you nothing.
Sources: Tesla Thailand (tesla.com/th_th/roadster and reservation page), Reuters, TechCrunch, Electrek, The Drive, MGR Online and Autolifethailand · Images and video: Tesla
