Tesla still will not say what the next-generation Roadster costs to buy. After Thursday night's reveal in McGregor, Texas, it did clarify how much cash it wants just to hold a place in line.

Engadget's liveblog, checking Tesla.com as the show wrapped, said the familiar $50,000 reservation is for the Performance trim, Thrust takes a $250,000 down payment, and Rocket is invite only. TechCrunch independently reported the same three-tier deposit structure later the same evening.

What the three trims buy you access to

  • Performance — "road ready," seats 2; active aerodynamics and multi-mode suction; Tesla.com labels it "By Reservation."
  • Thrust — "race ready," seats 2; suction plus rear cold-gas thrusters for 0-60 under 1 second; Tesla.com labels it "Limited Release."
  • Rocket — "air ready," seats 1; perimeter thrusters for forward, upward and lateral movement; Tesla.com says "Invite Only" and notes it is not approved for public road use.

Tesla's own X thread called the third config "Rocket"; the website says "Air ready." Spec targets for each trim are in our 0-60 and range story.

Still missing: the actual price

Neither Engadget nor TechCrunch found a published MSRP. Tesla's livestream also left the sticker price unsaid, as our production story covers. Musk put production in 2028. TechCrunch separately quoted Lars Moravy saying the flying demo car uses 10 thrusters and about 600 liters of compressed air that can be recharged.

Update Oct. 16: the fine print on your deposit

Tesla's Roadster reservation agreement says Tesla "cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered," because the car is still under development, InsideEVs reported Friday. The agreement calls the deposit a reservation for an "approximate" place in line, not an order. Any purchase price shown is "only an estimate," and what was shown at the event could change before launch.

The reservation is fully refundable and non-transferable, InsideEVs said. Electrek reported the Performance payment schedule: $5,000 due on reserving and $45,000 more within 10 days, or the reservation is canceled.

How 2017 deposits convert into Performance vs Thrust vs Rocket is still not disclosed. More on the hardware in our design breakdown and the live reveal recap.