If you started holding your breath when Tesla first showed off its next-gen Roadster, you wouldn't be reading this right now. The automaker has been promising its futuristic sports car since 2017, and its newest deadline of a 2025 launch is right around the corner. Thankfully, Tesla says that it's happening (for real this time) complete with some pretty rad SpaceX tech that will make it "fly."
Welcome back to Critical Materials, your daily roundup for all things EV and automotive tech. Today, we're chatting about Tesla's promise to demo a "flying" version of the the next-gen Roadster next year, the EU's big Chinese EV takeover and Mercedes' taking aim at the Model Y with the crossover sibling of its soon-to-launch CLA. Let's jump in.
30%: Tesla To Show Off "Flying" Roadster Next Year
When Tesla first teased its next-gen roadster in 2017, it promised big things: a zero-to-60 time of 1.9 seconds, an 8.8-second quarter mile time and the ability to drive at more than 250 MPH. Things have changed quite a bit since then. Musk has since claimed that the Roadster will be equipped 10 rocket thrusters that will give it the ability to out-brake and out-accelerate the competition. He even said it would be able to hover for short amounts of time.
All big claims, right? Well, it's supposedly coming—and according to CEO Elon Musk, the automaker expects to begin low-volume production of the car in 2025. That means Tesla is running out of time to put its money where its mouth is. Musk says that it anticipates at least showing off a demo of its flagship car in 2025:
"I think next year," said Musk at the Tesla-focused X Takeover event, confirming that the demonstration of the car is to occur in 2025. "Next year sometime."
The answer seems a bit up in the air, especially when combined with Musk's history of overly ambitious timelines. But to make it worth the wait, he's saying it will be able to "fly."
"Right. Yeah, it'll be something special," said Musk, responding to a rumor about the car being able to fly. He previously elaborated: "[T]hat's a joint, sort of Tesla-SpaceX effort. So it's kind of combining rocket engineering with Tesla EV engineering, alien technology to make something really special."
He also gave an anecdotal recollection of how impactful he expects the Roadster to be in Tesla's timeline:
The Roadster is, you know, one of those things that's not like necessary from a utility standpoint, but it's super cool.
A friend of mine, Peter Thiel, he would say, "Why don't we have flying cars?" I'm like, "Wait for it, it's coming."
So I think it'll be super cool. Has it changed the world? I don't know, but I think, like, sometimes just gotta have things that are just cool, because that's it's just great to have awesome things in the world.
So it's kind of cherry on the cake. And I think the Roadster demo will be mind blowing. It might be the most mind blowing demo of anything ever.
Musk wasn't probed over what's taking so long to get the car to market. After all, if the 2025 timeline holds true, it will be around eight years since the product was first shown to the masses, potentially making the design of the $200,000-plus car feel a bit dated. Perhaps it's the "alien technology" embedded in the car, or maybe competing priorities of a fully autonomous robotaxi and investor-pushed cheap EV.
Regardless, Tesla's actual release of the next-gen Roadster could spark an all-out war of automakers looking to one-up Tesla's electric sports car. And that's something many auto-enthusiasts-turned-EV-shoppers will undoubtedly welcome.
60%: Chinese EVs Lap Up 11% Of EU's Market Share Ahead Of Tariffs
China's automakers rushed to gain as much of Europe's EV market as possible ahead of tariffs that went into effect earlier this month. June's sales figures are out and reveal that Chinese automakers gobbled up an impressive 11% of new EV sales.
The overall sales of Chinese EVs are up a staggering 72% month-over-month, rising from a low of 7.3% in March to 8.7% in May and 11.1% in June. This was likely an effort made by automakers and consumers looking to get into a new EV that would be affected by the tariffs ahead of significant price increases.
Via Bloomberg:
Chinese brands registered more than 23,000 battery-electric vehicles across the region during the month, the most ever, Dataforce figures show. Their 72% sequential jump from May was twice the gain in overall European EV registrations for June. Chinese-made imports from Western manufacturers including Volvo, BMW, and Tesla are also subject to the new levies.
Whether the volume gains can be sustained will be closely watched in the coming months, as the added EU tariffs take hold. The EU’s provisional charges subject SAIC to an additional 38% fee, while BYD will pay an extra 17% on the existing 10% customs duty.
Carmakers on both continents are rushing to add European EV manufacturing so they can avoid the new duties, while tensions between Beijing and Brussels risk devolving into a trade war.
What isn't clear is if the brand's volume will be sustained. As noted above, many major Chinese automakers are now subject to additional provisional duty fees as high as 38%—that's on top of the already-existing 10% tariffs already in effect for imported vehicles.
The increased cost to import signals Europe's protectionist efforts to block EVs made cheaply using what officials are calling "unfair subsidization." This specifically targets Chinese-built and sourced cars, a move that mirrors the United State's 100% tariff on similar imports (albeit with a lower rate). Both tariffs are designed to protect domestic automakers against the threat of cheap EVs exported from China.
The numbers do shine a light on consumers' conscious efforts to buy cheaper EVs if given the chance. While not exclusive to China's auto industry, it should serve as a real warning to legacy automakers that aren't taking the "extinction-level event" threat quite seriously. Perhaps it may also light a fire under the need for automakers to prioritize affordable EVs for the masses.
90%: Mercedes-Benz CLA Crossover To Target EV's "Big Three": Affordability, Tesla Model Y And Young Buyers
Mercedes-Benz is expected to begin the production of its battery-electric CLA as early as October 2025, according to an AutoForecast Solutions report cited by Automotive News. But that's not all the Germans have up their sleeve.
Mercedes is also reportedly plotting to unleash a shooting brake and two electric crossovers built on the same platform. Its target consumer? Younger Tesla Model Y buyers.
According to the report, the crossover variant—codenamed X174—is expected to follow the four-door coupe in the first half of 2026. The vehicle is expected to be manufactured in Rastatt, Germany, which is one of the three factories expected to build vehicles underpinned by Mercedes' new EV-first architecture.
The German automaker will introduce the CLA as the first vehicle built on its new Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA). This new architecture is planned to underpin both compact and midsize vehicles, prioritizing compatibility with EV and hybrid powertrains while also offering support for traditional combustion powerplants.
Mercedes appears to be following the quintessential EV Maker's Bible, which figuratively suggests that success in the EV industry is to develop a worthwhile competitor to the Tesla Model Y while offering just enough of a difference to draw consumers into a non-Tesla brand instead.
"Providing more choices in sporty and lower-priced crossovers gives younger buyers more of a reason to shift to the brand where the more family-friendly utilities will keep them engaged for years to follow," said AutoForecast Solutions Vice President, Sam Fiorani.
Mercedes has been hunting for the perfect recipe to compete with the Model Y for some time. The EQB, which is currently aimed at bringing younger faces into the brand, isn't it. Instead, the automaker will focus on using the CLA to drive down costs even more and offer something a bit more price-competitive with the industry's best-selling global car.
Currently, vehicles priced at under $60,000 make up just a third of Mercedes' sales. The same pricepoint makes up 47% of the brand's luxury-focused peers, meaning that Mercedes still has some room to grow in this area—especially since its average transaction price was $76,195 last quarter.
100%: Will The Tesla Roadster Be Worth The Wait?
Seven years. That's about how long it's been since the world first set eyes on the first Tesla Roadster concept at the Tesla Semi event in 2017. The car is finally poised to hit the streets next year, and I have to admit, I'm wondering if it's really going to be worth the wait. That is, if it even happens next year.
Maybe I'm speaking for myself—a lowly car peasant—here, but I can't shell out $200,000 for the Tesla Roadster. But that doesn't mean I'm not rooting for its success.
In actuality, I'm hoping that it at least shows other automakers that there is a market for electric sports cars and pushes them closer to green-lighting the production of more affordable enthusiast-focused cars with tons of torque. I mean, just look how excited the world is for the Rivian R3X. Can you imagine how sick a battery-powered Toyota Supra could be?
That brings me to today's question: are you still hyped for the Tesla Roadster? Let me know in the comments what you're hoping for with its release.
