Tesla Roadster probably won't drive an earnings beat, but the big reveal did achieve 2 things

The new Tesla (TSLA) Roadster probably won’t be the deciding factor in the company beating on earnings when production possibly begins in 2028, but the high-profile reveal on Thursday night did achieve two things.

“Two takeaways from tonight’s Roadster event. 1. It was an engineering flex with no commercial value beyond embarrassing traditional car makers. 2. Elon can’t wait to bring $TSLA and $SPCX together,” veteran tech analyst Gene Munster said in an X post.

It’s hard to argue with both points.

Tesla unveiled its redesigned Roadster on Thursday night at SpaceX’s (SPCX) rocket test site in McGregor, Texas. It came nearly nine years after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk first showed his idea for the car in 2017.

The wait was worth it.

Using cold-gas thrusters borrowed from SpaceX and a suction system, the car drove upside down on a curved ramp, vaulted off it, and flipped in midair before landing. The car also jumped over a series of Tesla vehicles — not unlike the classic move of K.I.T.T. from the “Knight Rider” TV series.

Musk said it can reach 60 mph in under a second and top 230 mph, though it is unclear whether any of the stunt features would be legal on public roads.

Tesla said production will start in 2028. There is a $50,000 deposit on the Performance version and $250,000 on the Thrust version.

Tesla stock rose 5% in premarket trading on Friday, while SpaceX advanced 2%.

“Wait who the hell was driving the Tesla,” Meta (META) AI chief Alexandr Wang said on X of the flying Roadster.

Another point well taken.

354.72 -7.72 (-2.13%)

At close: 4:00:01 PM EDT

353.39 -1.33 (-0.37%)

After hours: 5:18:07 PM EDT

TSLA SPCX

Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance’s Executive Editor, host of the Sozzi Unleashed morning show and the Power Players with Brian Sozzi podcast, and a member of Yahoo Finance’s editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email [email protected].