Tesla's chief designer promises Roadster 'very soon', but host reminds him it's been nearly a decade

The second-generation Tesla Roadster, announced back in 2017, still hasn't reached the market, even though CEO Elon Musk initially promised sales would start in 2020. Now the company's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, says the car will arrive "very soon," but he gave no specific timeline.

The topic came up during an interview on Jay Leno's show. The host asked the designer when the long-awaited electric vehicle would finally appear. Holzhausen repeated "very soon" twice without offering further details. Leno sarcastically noted the wait has already stretched to almost ten years, apparently counting from the prototype's unveiling.

In April, Musk attended an internal showcase of the car, but it wasn't ready for production at that point. A public demonstration was postponed until August, yet the first ten days of the month have already passed without any fresh hints about the event.

Over the years, many electric cars capable of hitting 100 km/h in the two seconds Musk promised have hit the market, with a significant share coming from Chinese manufacturers at more attractive prices than the expected $250,000 for a first-batch Roadster. Musk also suggested equipping the car with cold-air thrusters for extra acceleration on straightaways. Apparently, implementing this feature is the main reason the Roadster hasn't been ready for a public showing beyond a static display.