IT·Science News

Tesla’s flying Roadster: Chinese rivals cheer, then say their flying cars are more practical

Tesla unveiled its second-generation Roadster at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas, where a demo car drove up a ramp using a fan-based suction system and cold-gas thrusters, flipped in mid-air, landed and jumped over Tesla vehicles including a Semi, China EV site CnEVPost reported on 16 October. Only the Rocket version can fly: it is a single-seater for invited customers and is not approved for public roads. China reservations cover only the Performance version, which lacks the full flight system, with a refundable 332,000 yuan (about $49,390) deposit. Elon Musk has set 2028 as the production target.

Nio founder William Li reposted the video on Weibo, joking about his 2018 claim that Nio would match whatever Tesla had.

“Amazing! This we really don't have. Kudos to Tesla.” — William Li, via CnEVPost

Two weeks later, the South China Morning Post reported a different Chinese response. Wang Tan, co-founder of Aridge, the flying-car affiliate of carmaker Xpeng, said flying cars developed by Chinese companies are by design more feasible for commercial use than the Roadster, because they use different technologies. The SCMP says the demonstration sparked discussion about tech leadership in mainland China.

How each outlet framed it

• CnEVPost — the spectacle: what the Roadster did, and how Chinese buyers can and cannot get one.
• South China Morning Post — the rivalry: a Chinese firm arguing that the real commercial race is elsewhere.

What we don't know yet: whether Tesla will meet its 2028 production target; CnEVPost notes the Roadster timeline has slipped several times since a 2017 prototype.