Tesla demonstrated a Roadster that goes airborne in a public demo on October 16. Reporting established that the prototype used cold gas thrusters built with SpaceX engineers, that production is not expected until 2028, and that the flight model is invite-only with pricing unknown. Reservations run from a $5,000 deposit on the base car to $250,000 for the thrust trim, and Tesla's fine print cannot guarantee delivery. The discussion now weighs the demo against Tesla's falling deliveries in 2024 and 2025 and BYD's lead in EV sales, and notes that a separate fan system, not the thrusters, creates the downforce for the vertical ramp and upside-down driving.