DOMINANT ANGLE
Mexico City is marveling at the demonstration: the Mexican press is mainly focusing on SpaceX's propulsion systems, the spectacular jumps, and the phrase "flying cars exist", before memes take over.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The presentation took place on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at SpaceX's rocket testing site in McGregor (Texas), followed by over 200,000 people on X according to El Financiero.
- 02
Vanguardia MX: three versions (Performance, Thrust, Rocket) and high-pressure compressed air thrusters instead of rocket fuel.
- 03
El Informador: Musk acknowledged that the design does not prioritize safety, hence doubts about certification, and the presentation triggered a wave of memes.
ANALYSIS
Mexico, October 16, 2026. In the Mexican press, Tesla's new Roadster is first and foremost a spectacle. El Financiero headlines "Los autos voladores SÍ existen" and recounts the presentation on Thursday, October 15, in Texas, which was followed live by over 200,000 people on X. Elon Musk affirms that he wanted a live audience to prove that the images are not generated by artificial intelligence: "Lo que van a ver con sus ojos, no van a creerlo". The vehicle drives up a ramp until it is almost suspended upside down, jumps, and then brakes its fall with propellers. Musk exclaims: "Los coches voladores ahora son reales". Later, the car jumps over a row of vehicles while spinning on itself.
Vanguardia MX details the technical specifications. The event was held at SpaceX's rocket testing site in McGregor, and the newspaper notes that the development of the model has accumulated nearly nine years of delay. The propellers, designed by Tesla and SpaceX engineers, use highly compressed air instead of rocket fuel. Three versions are announced: Performance, a two-seater with an underbody suction system; Thrust, with rear propellers; and Rocket, a single-seater capable of taking off. The newspaper quotes Musk's phrase after the maneuver: "Bueno, ha funcionado".
El Informador takes an epic tone: Musk would have "paralyzed the automotive world" and proven that flying cars are no longer science fiction. The Guadalajara daily adds that the jump took place over vehicles of the brand, including a Tesla Semi truck, and that the Optimus robot would have held the wheel, a detail that other titles in the corpus do not repeat. A second article from the same media outlet notes that Musk recognized that the design does not prioritize safety, which raises doubts about road certification.
The commercial aspect remains thin. Reforma, quoting Bloomberg, summarizes that Tesla wants to "revitalize its automotive business" and recalls the numerous delays since the 2017 announcement. The corpus does not mention a price or production schedule.
The final act is local. El Informador ("Tesla Roadster vuela y los memes aterrizan") and El Norte ("¿Un Tesla volador en México?") report on the wave of memes: drivers stuck in cables, cars against buildings, and jokes from Monterrey about a journey without traffic jams on Gonzalitos street.
SOURCES (5)
- El FinancieroMEDIUM
- El InformadorMEDIUM
- El NorteMEDIUM
- Vanguardia MXMEDIUM
