A photo of the Roadster Photo: Tesla

US tech giant Tesla held an event at a SpaceX rocket test site on Thursday US time and officially unveiled its second-generation Roadster, which has been widely described as a "flying car," drawing considerable attention from China, with many Chinese auto industry leaders commending the innovation.

Notably, the car is also open for reservations in China, though actual delivery plans remain unclear. Video footage of the demonstration has been widely shared on Chinese social media, and many also turned their attention to how Chinese auto executives view the "flying" Roadster.

Li Bin, Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker NIO's founder, chairman and CEO, reposted a link to Tesla's demonstration video of Roadster on Sina Weibo and commented: "This is incredible! We really don't have this - thumbs up for Tesla."

The comment appears to be a nod to a previous remark made by Li. The NIO founder once declared that "whatever Tesla has, I have; and what I have, Tesla doesn't." Now, as Tesla's Roadster sparks heated discussion, Li's remarks from eight years ago have been dug up again and quickly become a viral internet meme, according to some auto industry news outlets.

He Xiaopeng, chairman of EV maker XPENG, said in a post on WeChat that the Roadster represents "a very cool alternative form of a flying car," according to several media reports.

He added that whether the product can be realized depends on flight safety, performance parameters, range, and crucially, flight certification. He noted that these requirements require long-term efforts both in China and the US and expressed hope that progress can accelerate.

Zhao Deli, founder of XPENG AEROHT (ARIDGE), the flying car affiliate of XPENG and the first company in China to mass-produce a flying car, said the demonstration showcased "bold creativity" and vector-control technology. "This helps more people believe in the future of flying cars," said Zhao.

In a livestream of the demonstration on Thursday local time, Tesla demonstrated additional capabilities. The Roadster slowly followed a C-shaped suspended track, hovered while oriented vertically relative to the ground, and remained suspended at the top parallel surface of the track. After accelerating off the upper end of the track, the vehicle adjusted the direction of its thrusters mid-air to perform a 180-degree flip before landing smoothly.

According to Tesla's official website, the Roadster is offered in three versions - Performance, Thrust and Rocket. All three are listed with an estimated range of approximately 300 miles (483 kilometers) and a top speed exceeding 230 mph (370 kilometers per hour). In the US, reservations are open for the Performance version with a deposit of $50,000 and the Thrust version with a deposit of $250,000. The Rocket version is available by invitation only.

Tesla's China website currently accepts reservations only for the Performance version, with a fully refundable deposit of 332,000 yuan ($49,653). The site notes that whether the vehicle can ultimately be sold in a given market will depend on applicable local laws and regulations at the time of launch.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that production of the Roadster is scheduled to begin in 2028.

According to previous reports, the original Roadster was first delivered in 2008 at a price of about $100,000 and was discontinued in 2012. Tesla announced plans for a new Roadster in 2017 with a target delivery date of 2020, but the project has faced repeated delays.

Global Times