DOMINANT ANGLE
The United States downplays the Roadster demonstration: the financial press sees it as a showcase with no impact on Tesla's accounts and an argument for a merger with SpaceX.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Tesla has been taking $50,000 deposits since 2017 and has missed all targeted delivery dates (CNBC).
- 02
Tesla has reopened reservations in the US, Canada, and China, with a $50,000 deposit (CNBC).
- 03
A Barclays note mentions a potential Tesla-SpaceX merger by the end of the year, according to Bloomberg.
ANALYSIS
Washington, October 16, 2026. The US economic press is addressing the Tesla Roadster through the lens of the stock market and Elon Musk's credibility, long before that of its technical prowess. CNBC recalls that the presentation was scheduled for Thursday evening at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, near Waco, with a live broadcast at 8:55 p.m. Eastern time.
The story opens with nearly a decade of delays. Elon Musk presented the concept in November 2017, and Tesla began collecting $50,000 deposits the same year. Since then, the network notes that the company "has missed all delivery dates" targeted. Just a year ago, Musk promised a demonstration before the end of 2025, which did not take place. CNBC also cites his June 2018 message about a "SpaceX option package" of about ten small thrusters, which could "even allow a Tesla to fly".
On the commercial front, the tone is reserved. CNBC writes that the car, a high-end model produced in low volume and relying on SpaceX technologies such as cold gas thrusters, should not have a significant financial impact on the manufacturer. The network recalls that Tesla reopened reservations in recent weeks, with a $50,000 deposit in the United States, Canada, and China, and that executives were expected to announce the price, features, and production targets. It also mentions the mockery of Sam Altman, a former ally of Musk and co-founder of OpenAI.
Bloomberg shifts the question to the group's structure. On the show "The Close", investor Ross Gerber comments on the unveiling following a note from Barclays that Tesla and SpaceX could merge before the end of the year, possibly before Tesla's annual general meeting. Gerber estimates that a expensive car produced in small series would not weigh on Tesla's accounts. In this reading, the demonstration is worth mainly as a signal to shareholders and as an argument in favor of a rapprochement between Musk's two companies.
The two sources thus converge: the Roadster is treated as a showcase for Musk's fans, whose enthusiasm CNBC notes on social networks, and not as a product likely to change Tesla's trajectory. The financial stakes lie elsewhere, in the possible merger with SpaceX.
