Tesla’s vision of the future: Why manually driving may become a luxury for the rich

Roadster puts driving in focus

Musk unveiled the new Roadster on Thursday with a demonstration featuring dramatic stunts. The car climbed a vertical ramp, drove upside down, briefly flew, landed, then hopped and spun above a row of Tesla vehicles.

Musk said the stunts were choreographed using autonomy. He said Roadster owners will eventually be able to drive manually, setting the model apart from the rest of Tesla’s lineup.

Musk called it the only Tesla that will be manually driven in the long term. Lead engineer Lars Moravy responded that people need to have fun sometimes.

A high price remains likely

That fee is not the purchase price. In 2017, when Tesla first announced the Roadster’s return, the company took $250,000 payments for reservations of the Founder Series model.

Tesla expands autonomy plans

Tesla has also been advancing self-driving technology in vehicles aimed at more price-conscious buyers. In September, it began rolling out the Cybercab, which has no steering wheel, brake pedals or side mirrors.

Tesla says it eventually wants to sell Cybercabs to consumers for less than $30,000. Musk has also highlighted subscription revenue from Full Self-Driving (Supervised) among Cybertruck, Model Y and Model 3 owners on recent earnings calls.

Driving remains part of the appeal

Musk has described a future in which driving becomes obsolete, comparing it with operating elevators, a job largely phased out as elevators became automated in the mid-20th century. In a March post on X, he said modern elevators are safe when regularly inspected and operated by pressing a button.

But driving remains a hobby, a sport and a source of pride for many people. Moravy acknowledged its enjoyment, while the Roadster suggests Tesla may leave manual control available to buyers willing to pay for it.