Surprise! Tesla unveils the new Roadster, and it's the fastest car in the world

The new Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than the Bugatti Chiron and is much cheaper.

Yesterday was a big day for Tesla. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the presentation of its first electric semi-truck, an industrial vehicle that promises to revolutionize the truck market. But what we didn’t know is that this would not be the only novelty Tesla would unveil yesterday: the American firm had an ace up its sleeve: the new generation of the model with which the brand made itself known to the world, the Tesla Roadster. We can tell you without any fear of being wrong that it is the fastest production road car in the world, check out these figures: 0 to 100 km/h in 1.9 seconds! Top speed of more than 400 km/h! A range approaching 1,000 kilometres!

Faster than a Bugatti Chiron

Tesla has defined the new Roadster as the fastest car on the face of the earth, and it’s no wonder. Its acceleration far exceeds that of the most brutal supercars on the market. To give an example, the Bugatti Chiron accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds (six tenths of a second slower than the new Tesla Roadster), and it is a hypercar with 1,500 CV of power that holds the record for acceleration from 0 to 400 km/h: 42 seconds.

What we still don’t know about the new Tesla Roadster

The mechanics of the new Tesla Roadster remain a mystery. We don’t know the output of its powertrain, the capacity of its battery, its weight, or how it is arranged in the cabin. How will Tesla have managed to achieve a range of such characteristics without excessively weighing down the vehicle?

All-wheel drive, four seats and a targa-style convertible roof

What we do know is that this electric supercar will feature an all-wheel drive system. The new Tesla Roadster offers four seats, although we understand the rear ones will be more token than anything else. As its name suggests, it will have a targa-style convertible roof, the same one used by the Porsche 911 Targa, for example.

How much will the Tesla Roadster cost?

I suppose you think a supercar with these characteristics must have an outrageous price, so here comes the best part: the new Tesla Roadster costs €172,000 ($200,000). Logically, not everyone can spend that kind of money on a car, but if we look at the performance-to-price ratio, there is no better supercar than this new-generation Tesla Roadster. To put it in perspective, the Bugatti Chiron costs 2.4 million euros.

The start of production of the new Roadster is scheduled for 2020, and it can already be reserved for $50,000 (about €42,000 at the current exchange rate).