Cinema has long depicted a future where cars leave the streets to traverse the skies above our cities. Now, Elon Musk has unveiled a Tesla capable of leaping over other vehicles, performing mid-air maneuvers, and landing—all powered by technology inspired by SpaceX rockets. For years, Musk had promised that the next-generation Tesla Roadster would be unlike any other sports car.

The project was first introduced in 2017. At the time, Tesla touted extraordinary acceleration, an impressive range, and performance capable of challenging some of the fastest vehicles on the planet. However, as the years passed, the launch was repeatedly postponed, and the new Roadster became one of the company’s longest-standing, unfulfilled promises—until October 15, 2026, when Tesla finally revealed something few expected to see.

At a SpaceX testing facility in McGregor, Texas, a prototype of the Roadster appeared before the public for a highly unusual demonstration. There was no human behind the wheel—only a robot, which appeared quite unsteady during the display. The presentation was conducted autonomously for safety reasons, and for good cause: Tesla was about to attempt maneuvers that would typically be impossible for a conventional automobile.

The Tesla Roadster accelerated toward a ramp, traveled along an extremely steep path, and ended up inverted; it then left the surface, performed a mid-air rotation, and landed once again. In another part of the demonstration, the vehicle jumped over a row of parked cars. The footage quickly began circulating online, but the most important question is not simply how the car managed to get off the ground; rather, it is how Tesla managed to control its movements while in the air—and the answer involves two quite different technologies.

The first feature is a suction system installed on the underside of the vehicle: high-power fans draw air from the space between the car and the surface, creating a pressure differential that increases the force pressing the vehicle against the ground. This concept has previously appeared in experimental motorsport projects, where suction helps increase grip without relying solely on conventional aerodynamics. In the case of the Roadster, Tesla claims the system can generate a suction force equivalent to up to twice the acceleration due to gravity—which helps explain how the prototype managed to traverse an inclined structure while remaining firmly attached, even in positions that would cause an ordinary car to fall off.

However, this system alone does not account for the movements made after the vehicle loses contact with the surface; this is where the second technology comes in. Tesla employed thrusters powered by compressed gas—a solution inspired by systems used in the space industry. When gas stored under high pressure is released through a nozzle, it generates a force in the opposite direction, based on Newton’s third law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In a spacecraft, small thrusters can be used to adjust orientation; in an automobile, a similar system can produce bursts of force capable of altering the vehicle's movement. During the presentation, these jets helped the Roadster perform maneuvers in mid-air and control its descent—which explains why Elon Musk began associating the new sports car with the concept of a "flying car."