Elon Musk is once again promising the future will deliver on one of its longest-running sci-fi fantasies.
On Tuesday, the Tesla CEO replied to a post that joked “We were promised flying cars and all we got is infinite superintelligence for everyone” with a blunt three-word answer: “You will get flying cars.”
The comment, posted on X, quickly racked up tens of thousands of likes and millions of views. Musk offered no additional details in the thread, but the remark fits a pattern of comments he’s made for years about the next-generation Tesla Roadster.
That car has long been linked to an optional SpaceX cold-gas thruster package designed to deliver extreme acceleration and, according to Musk, the ability to briefly lift off the ground or hover.
The flying-car speculation gained fresh momentum during Musk’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast last year, where he suggested Tesla was nearing a prototype demonstration. Musk teased that the reveal could be “unforgettable,” and when the conversation turned to flying cars, he made the idea even more intriguing by saying that if someone like billionaire Peter Thiel wanted one, “he should be able to buy one.”
Much of the excitement is tied to Tesla’s next-generation Roadster, which Musk has repeatedly suggested will feature technology far beyond a conventional sports car. He has described the vehicle’s capabilities as “crazy, crazy technology” and even questioned whether it could still be considered a traditional car. According to Musk, its technology could be more outrageous than combining the fictional gadgets of every James Bond car into one vehicle. Still, he has acknowledged the most important hurdle: Tesla needs to prove that the technology actually works.
The Roadster itself remains one of Tesla’s most delayed projects. First shown as a prototype in 2017, it has missed multiple production targets. A public demonstration that was floated for earlier this year has slipped again, with recent reports pointing to August or later at Giga Texas. Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen said this week that the car is coming “very soon.” Series production is still expected no earlier than 2027 or 2028.
Musk has never framed the Roadster’s thrusters as a path to everyday personal flying cars. He has repeatedly noted the practical challenges of widespread aerial vehicles—noise, weather, and safety among them—while arguing that tunnels offer a more realistic near-term solution for traffic. His latest post keeps the focus squarely on the high-performance sports car and its long-promised aerial stunt capability.
Whether the “unforgettable” demo Musk has teased finally arrives in the coming weeks will determine how soon the public gets its first look at Tesla’s version of a flying car.
