Tesla appears to be finally moving toward the production of the next-generation Roadster, a car that has faced significant delays since its 2017 unveiling. This indication comes from a new job listing for a 'Manufacturing Engineer, Roadster' responsible for developing and launching battery manufacturing equipment for the vehicle. While this suggests the start of factory preparation, Tesla's own production chart recently still showed the Roadster in the "design development" phase, with the manufacturing location yet to be officially determined.

The next-gen Roadster, initially promised for 2020, has been delayed multiple times, with a realistic production timeframe is now likely 2027. The delays are speculated to be due to complex engineering updates, such as Elon Musk's talk of adding "cold-air thrusters," and a possible reluctance to fulfill commitments from an earlier referral program that promised free vehicles to top referrers.