Tesla’s Roadster promises 2028 production and 0.59-second sprints, while Porsche’s Mission S previews a mid-engined supercar line above the 911
The next-gen Tesla Roadster and the Porsche Mission S debuted on 15 October. Tesla promises 2028 production, and Porsche gives no date. Tesla showed a hovering, jumping car. Porsche showed a design study for a new supercar line above the 911. TF duves into both cars, their claims and the gaps.
What’s Happening & Why It Matters
Tesla’s Roadster
Tesla revealed the production-intent Roadster at an event in Waco, Texas, on Thursday 15 October, Edmunds reports. The two-seat electric car arrives about nine years after Tesla’s first preview. Musk called the Roadster a “better than James Bond car,” according to Autoblog.
The car uses air thrusters and fans. In the demo, the Roadster drove up a ramp, hovered upside down and jumped over a row of Teslas. Autoblog describes a short hover, not sustained flight. Other features are an adjustable rear wing and steer-by-wire. Musk said the thrusters could improve cornering and admitted safety was not the top design goal.
The Claims
Tesla quotes 0-60 mph times by trim. Performance is under 1.6 seconds, Thrust under 0.9 seconds and Rocket under 0.59 seconds. Reported demo runs took 0.81 and 1.0 seconds, according to Tech Insider. No one has verified the numbers, and Autoblog says the timing method was unclear.
Musk cited a top speed of 230 mph (370 km/h). Tesla’s engineering chief Lars Moravy said the car would exceed the figure. The Rimac Nevera, already on sale, quotes 1.74 seconds. The comparison holds if independent tests confirm Tesla’s figure. Edmunds takes the claims with a huge grain of salt.
Deposits and Timing
Tesla takes reservations for Performance at $50,000 (€44,500) and Thrust at $250,000 (€222,500). The Rocket trim is by invitation. Tesla has announced no list price, and a deposit is not a purchase price. Tesla’s Roadster page ties the Thrust figures to an optional upgrade.
Production starts in 2028, Tesla says, but the date is unconfirmed. The timeline has shifted since the first reveal in 2017. The reports give no range figure.
Porsche’s Mission S
Porsche revealed the Mission S vision car on 15 October 2026. Press photos show the car on a Queens pier against the Manhattan skyline. The setting nods to a 1953 shoot of the 550 Spyder. Porsche has not disclosed a powertrain, performance numbers, price or launch date.
The car is mid-engined. Porsche develops a new mid-engine supercar platform above the 911 under its Sportwagenschmiede ‘35 strategy. CEO Michael Leiters says the car is no short-term special edition and will be a permanent part of the lineup.
The Design
The Mission S borrows from Porsche racing history. Upright headlights above an LED bar nod to the 935. The rear wing recalls the 911 GT1, and a fan cowling at the end of the roofline recalls the 917. Wheels riff on the 928 design, and the fenders echo the air-cooled 911 GT2.
The interior uses white, gray and red. Five round gauges are behind the wheel, with the rev counter in the center. There is no fixed center screen. A retractable MagSafe holder takes a phone, and physical buttons share space with digital displays.
My take: the two cars sell different things. Tesla sells spectacle and numbers needing proof, and Porsche sells a direction with no specs. A buyer can put down a deposit on one of them today.
TF Summary: What’s Next
Tesla has to publish a list price, range and test data. Independent testers will check the 0-60 claims once cars exist. Porsche has to reveal a powertrain and a production date. Rivals such as Rimac will answer Tesla’s numbers.
MY FORECAST: Tesla will publish list prices for the Roadster by mid-2027. The production date will slip past 2028. Porsche will reveal a powertrain for the Mission S by the end of 2027. Independent tests will place the Roadster’s 0-60 time above Tesla’s best claim.
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