Tesla’s new Roadster makes a flying debut, hitting 60 MPH in under a second
Tesla unveiled its long-anticipated Roadster on Thursday during a dramatic event in which the vehicle used compressed-air thrusters to fly off a ramp and perform a midair maneuver.
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Read the original articleFox Business · foxbusiness.comOur verdict
Political lean
0 = center. The further from 0, the stronger the lean (max 10).
Reporting balance
How complete and even-handed the reporting is — separate from which side it leans.
This is a company-driven piece: every quoted source is Tesla or Musk, and the outlet's own praise ('jaw-dropping', 'gravity-defying') supports a headline that presents unverified performance claims as fact. Its main strength is that it includes the 2017 delivery promise and the $200,000 past price, which give readers some context. Readers should treat the 60 mph and 'flying' claims as Tesla's own, check for independent tests, and be cautious about the 2028 production date given the 2020 miss.
- Why this lean
- The story has no left/right political angle; it is a technology and product item. Its slant is promotional rather than partisan. The lede, headline and quoted voices all come from Tesla and Musk, and the outlet's narration adopts the company's adjectives. Because the topic is not political, the score stays at the centre, and the promotional tilt is recorded in the dimension scores and findings.
- Framing
- The story is told from Tesla's perspective, treating the Roadster's stunt and performance claims as the news, with production timing and pricing as secondary details.
Confidence: Medium — The body text is complete and has clear attribution, but the piece is short, and much of the page is unrelated navigation and video headlines. The analysis is limited to what this single article says. Engineering and aviation claims are assessed by source type rather than by checking the physics.
Key Findings
- 1All quoted voices are Tesla or Musk: 'Turns out the future does have flying cars' (Musk) and 'Flying cars are real' (Moravy). No independent engineer, aviation expert or analyst tests these claims.
- 2The headline turns the company claim into a fact ('hitting 60 mph under a second'). The body shows that Tesla 'demonstrated' this, and it did not confirm it independently. The reader is left with a more confident picture than the evidence supports.
- 3The outlet's own adjectives carry the promotion: 'jaw-dropping showcase', 'gravity-defying demonstration', 'left the audiences in awe'. These come from the narrator, not from any source.
- 4The article does include some useful counterweight: the 2017 promise of 2020 deliveries against the 2028 production date, and the $200,000 price from nearly a decade ago with no cost given at the event. These details are not developed into a critical assessment.
- 5The 'flying' claim is not explained. The body describes a ramp-launched hop with thrusters and a landing, but it does not say whether this is sustained flight, whether the car is road-legal, or whether it is certified to fly. Those are the facts a reader needs to judge the headline.
Who gets a voice
- Elon MuskTesla and SpaceX CEO, quoted on the Roadster's flying capability and performanceCompany leadershipMain voice
- Lars MoravyTesla VP of Vehicle Engineering, quoted with 'Flying cars are real.'Company engineeringMain voice
- Tesla (X posts)Company statements on tire grip, thruster force and the 'last human-driven cars' claimCompany communicationsMinor voice
- Unnamed Tesla executivesAnnounced production would begin in 2028Company leadershipMinor voice
Loaded language
Adds the outlet's own praise to the company's event; the reader is told how to feel before the claims are checked.
Presents a limited stunt as though it defies physics, which overstates what was shown.
Reports an emotional reaction as fact and leaves out critics or uninvolved observers.
The framing is positive, and it does not mention that the 2020 delivery date was missed.
Narrative drama is added to a company-run marketing event.
Dimension Breakdown
Every quoted voice is Tesla or Musk (Musk, Moravy, unnamed executives, Tesla's X posts, Tesla's reservation page). No independent expert, rival or regulator is heard.
The narration adopts promotional wording: 'long-anticipated', 'dramatic event', 'jaw-dropping showcase', 'gravity-defying demonstration', 'left the audiences in awe'. Attributed quotes are used properly.
The key numbers (under one second to 60 mph, 230+ mph top speed, 4–5x tire force, price tiers) are company figures and are not independently checked. The 2017 'deliveries in 2020' promise is a useful inconvenient detail, but it is not weighed against the claims.
Only the company side is represented. No skeptic, engineer, safety expert, aviation regulator or analyst is included to test a 'flying cars are real' claim.
The headline presents the 60 mph claim and the 'flying debut' as facts. The body shows the stunt was a company demonstration of ramp-launched hops, not verified flight or independently measured acceleration.
Useful history is included (2017 reveal, 2020 delivery promise, $200,000 base price in the past). Missing: the 2028 production date is not weighed against the record of delays, the status of flight or road certification is unexplained, and no independent performance baseline is given.
Missing Perspectives
- Independent automotive or aerospace engineers, who could say whether the claimed thrust-to-acceleration figures and the 4–5x tire-force comparison hold up.
- Safety or regulatory voices (for example, aviation or road-safety authorities), who would speak to whether a thruster-assisted vehicle can be sold, flown or driven on public roads.
- Customers or reservation holders, or analysts on the 2028 timeline and the $50k/$250k reservation payments, given Tesla's record of missed dates.
Highlighted Passages
“The jaw-dropping showcase featured the new Roadster accelerating up a massive curved ramp”
“Nearly a decade after the Roadster's initial 2017 concept debut, the vehicle left audiences in awe with the gravity-defying demonstration that deployed SpaceX's rocket technology.”
“Tesla officially unveiled its redesigned, next-generation Roadster”
“During the event, Tesla demonstrated a Roadster accelerating to 60 mph in under a second.”
Key Facts
- Tesla unveiled the redesigned Roadster on Oct. 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, per the photo caption credited to Tesla/X.
- According to Musk, certain Roadster versions accelerate from zero to 60 mph in under one second and reach a top speed of more than 230 mph.
- Tesla executives said production would begin in 2028.
- When Tesla revealed a prototype in 2017, it said deliveries would begin in 2020.
- Tesla's reservation page lists a $50,000 payment for the 'Performance' version and a $250,000 payment for the 'Thrust' version.
- Nearly a decade ago, Tesla quoted a base price of $200,000 for the Roadster; no cost was given at the Thursday event.
- According to Tesla on X, the thruster system generates 4–5x the force the tires can, and this gives better acceleration.