Key Highlights

  • Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) rose nearly 5% in premarket trading on Friday, October 16, 2026, according to CNBC, after unveiling a second-generation Roadster built with SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) cold-gas thrusters.
  • The reveal took place after the US close on Thursday, October 15 at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas. Reports said production is expected to begin in 2028.
  • Tesla lists reservation payments of USD 50,000 for a Performance model and USD 250,000 for a Thrust version, while the final price had not been confirmed in the reporting reviewed.
  • The car will not contribute revenue before 2028, so the share reaction reflects sentiment and brand value, with third-quarter results due on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

What Tesla Unveiled

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) showed a second-generation Roadster after the US close on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor in Texas. Reports described a car fitted with cold-gas thrusters, which release pressurised inert gas rather than burning fuel, the same category of hardware SpaceX uses to steer Falcon 9 boosters. The shares rose nearly 5% in premarket trading on Friday, October 16, according to CNBC's list of premarket movers. One provider put Thursday's close at USD 362.44, the third lower close in a row, with an overnight indication of USD 373.06. Reservation payments are USD 50,000 for the Performance model and USD 250,000 for the Thrust version. Executives said production is expected to start in 2028.

Why a Low-Volume Car Can Move a Large Stock

A sports car priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars will sell in small numbers and cannot shift group revenue materially. For Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), the channel is narrative rather than earnings: much of the valuation rests on expectations for technology, autonomy and links to other Musk companies, not on current automotive margins. A visible demonstration of SpaceX hardware in a Tesla product supports the idea that the two companies share engineering capability. That feeds directly into the separate debate about closer ties between them. Reservation payments bring in a small amount of cash before delivery, but they are deposits, not recognised revenue. A move of nearly 5% on a product without near-term sales shows how sentiment-driven the shares remain.

Risks and What to Watch

The first risk is timing: production is not expected before 2028, and Tesla has delayed the Roadster before, so the schedule could slip again. The second is regulation, since a car that uses thrusters raises questions about road and flight legality that have not been resolved. A third is earnings, as analysts cut third-quarter estimates to about USD 0.44 per share from USD 0.55, according to TradingKey. Investors should watch SpaceX results on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 and Tesla's third-quarter report on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, where margins and delivery guidance will matter more than the Roadster. The premarket figure is a snapshot and may not match the regular session.

Where Things Stand

The answer is that the Roadster reveal lifted sentiment around technology and SpaceX ties, not near-term earnings. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) gained nearly 5% premarket on a product that will not be produced before 2028. The next catalysts are SpaceX results on October 20 and Tesla's quarterly report on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, where an estimate of about USD 0.44 per share sets the bar. Product timelines can change, and this is not investment advice.