Jay Leno Drives Tesla Chief Designer's Car and No, It's Not a Tesla
Franz von Holzhausen said the long-delayed sports car is coming soon, while production is still tied to a SpaceX thruster package.
- Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen appeared on "Jay Leno's Garage" and told the host the production Roadster will debut "very soon," repeating the vague timeline when pressed.
- Host Jay Leno jabbed at Tesla for dragging out the Roadster's release for "just shy of 10 years," noting the prototype was unveiled in November 2017 with a promised 2020 launch date.
- Development has stalled due to the complex SpaceX "cold gas thruster" package, internally called A71, as Tesla increasingly prioritizes higher-volume vehicles, AI, autonomy, and robotics.
- CEO Elon Musk told investors in June the reveal was "a month or so" away, while Lars Moravy described the vehicle as the company's "last, best driver's car" before Tesla shifts to robotaxis.
- Public skepticism remains high given nearly nine years of missed deadlines, with many tired of hearing "soon" when Tesla pushes release dates down the road.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Tesla's design chief says Roadster's reveal is coming 'very soon'
Tesla has pushed back the Roadster's rollout as the company pivots to AI and robotics.TeslaTesla's Roadster is "coming soon," the company's chief designer said.The Roadster was Tesla's first vehicle. Elon Musk unveiled its second-gen prototype in 2017.It has since missed several potential launch dates as Tesla focuses on higher-volume cars and AI.The Tesla Roadster is almost here! Hopefully! Maybe?Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief car designer…
Jay Leno Drives Tesla Chief Designer's Car and No, It's Not a Tesla
You would expect Tesla's Chief Designer to go with a Tesla EV all the way. However, he is cheating with a car from his past. Back in the early 2000s, he secretly designed the Pontiac Solstice with a 2.4 EcoTech engine. That 2.4 is long gone, and his Solstice has a V8 under the hood. That's the last thing that you would expect from a Tesla executive. Franz van Holzhausen has been with Tesla for 18 years. But he just couldn&rs... (continue reading…
Eccentrica's Lamborghini Diablo Restomod Is Now Available As A Roadster, Still Firmly In The Uncanny Valley
Only 19 of these reimagined Diablos will be made, and because it's a convertible it's automatically better than the Eccentrica V12 Coupe we've already seen.
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