Version 1: Tesla opens Roadster bookings in India, but nobody knows the price yet

Tesla's India site now takes Roadster reservations from Rs 5.01 lakh. Production starts in 2028, and the final price is still a mystery.

Picture this. You want a car that has not been built yet. You do not know its final price. The factory will only start making it in 2028. And still, to get in the queue, you must pay about the same money as a whole new Tesla Model Y. That is the deal Tesla is now offering people in India for its new Roadster.

This week, Tesla's India site opened reservations for the new Roadster. CarDekho reported it on 16 October 2026, and evo India followed on 17 October. India is one of a few countries, apart from the United States, where people can now book it. Here is what is actually confirmed, and what is still only a promise.

First, what is the Roadster?

The Roadster is a small, two-seat sports car. Tesla first showed this second version back in 2017. On 15 October 2026, at an event near Waco, Texas, Elon Musk finally showed a redesigned Roadster with SpaceX thrusters. A thruster is a small jet that pushes out gas very fast, the same idea rockets use to turn in space.

At the show, the car drove up a ramp turned upside down, spun around and landed again. It also used its thrusters to lift itself over other Tesla vehicles while moving, according to TechCrunch. It sounds like a scene from a superhero film. That is exactly the point.

Watch on YouTube

How much do you pay to book one in India?

Booking a car is like paying an advance to hold a cricket bat at a shop before it arrives. You pay some money now, and you pay the rest later. This advance is called a deposit or a reservation amount.

According to CarDekho's report on the Tesla India listing, you can start a Roadster reservation with Rs 5.01 lakh. But that is only step one. The full deposit for the Performance version is Rs 50.06 lakh. For the Thrust version it is Rs 2.50 crore. The third version, Rocket, has no listed amount yet.

evo India says the rest of the money is due within 10 days of booking. So for the Performance version, after the first Rs 5.01 lakh, about Rs 45.05 lakh more must follow within 10 days. For Thrust, it is about Rs 2.45 crore more.

A counter rising to Rs 50.06 lakh, the full deposit for the Roadster Performance version in India — The Performance deposit adds up to Rs 50.06 lakh, before anyone knows the final price.

A deposit as big as a whole car

Now compare. Tesla's cheapest car in India, the 2026 Model Y Premium Rear-Wheel Drive, launched at Rs 50.89 lakh. That is the full price of a car you can actually drive home.

So the Roadster Performance deposit, Rs 50.06 lakh, is only Rs 83,000 less than an entire Model Y. And the Thrust deposit, Rs 2.50 crore, could pay for nearly five Model Ys. Think of it like paying the price of a full plate of samosas just to hold your place in the line for one samosa.

Bar chart comparing the Model Y price of Rs 50.89 lakh with Roadster deposits of Rs 50.06 lakh and Rs 2.50 crore — Just the Roadster deposits, next to the full price of a Model Y in India.

So what is the price of the car?

Nobody knows yet. TechCrunch reports that Musk did not name a price at the event. CarDekho also notes that the final prices are still under wraps. In the United States, Tesla charges $50,000 to reserve the Performance version and $250,000 for Thrust, while Rocket is invite only.

This matters. When you pay a deposit without a price, you are trusting the company. It is like giving your friend pocket money for a match ticket before anyone has told you what the ticket costs.

Three versions, three very different cars

Tesla will sell the Roadster in three versions, called trims. A trim is just a version of the same car with different parts, like a basic phone and a pro phone from the same brand.

Performance: Tesla calls it "road ready". It seats two and uses a suction system that Tesla says lifts its performance on and off the track.
Thrust: Called "race ready". It seats two and adds cold-gas thrusters at the back for even faster starts.
Rocket: Called "air ready". It seats one and has 10 thrusters placed around the car.

CarDekho lists the claimed times from 0 to 97 km/h as 1.6 seconds for Performance, 0.81 seconds for Thrust and 0.59 seconds for Rocket. That is faster than you can finish a sip of chai. It also lists a claimed top speed of 370 km/h. CarDekho adds that the Rocket is not currently approved for use on public roads.

Tesla's engineering vice president Lars Moravy said at the event that 10 thrusters connect to 600 litres of compressed air, which lets the car lift and spin, as TechCrunch reported. Tesla also explained the idea in a post on X.

See the post on X

Facts versus promises

It helps to sort this story into two piles.

What is confirmed: bookings are open on Tesla's India site. The first payment is Rs 5.01 lakh, and the full deposits are Rs 50.06 lakh and Rs 2.50 crore. evo India reports that production begins in 2028, with left-hand-drive cars only at first.

What is still a promise: the final price, the delivery date in India, and whether every trick shown on stage will be allowed on real roads. CarDekho guesses the car may reach Indian roads about a year after production starts, but that is an estimate, not a Tesla promise. CarDekho also says Tesla's India team has not yet given its own official confirmation.

There is history here too. When Tesla first showed this Roadster in 2017, it was supposed to arrive within a few years, and buyers paid $50,000 deposits. Some even paid $250,000 for one of 1,000 "Founders Series" cars. Musk then delayed the car in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, according to TechCrunch. The reveal itself was pushed back too, once because of bad weather.

Two panels: in 2017 Tesla promised the Roadster within a few years, and in 2026 it says production starts in 2028 — Nine years after the first reveal, the plan is production in 2028.

Why would Tesla even make this car?

Musk himself said he is "not sure it moves the needle massively" on revenue. Revenue is the total money a company earns from sales. So the Roadster is not meant to make Tesla rich by itself.

Instead, TechCrunch writes that Musk has positioned it as a "halo car". A halo car is a dream product that makes the whole brand look exciting, like the one famous dish that pulls people into a restaurant, even if most of them order the regular thali. People come for the wow, then buy the car they can afford.

That fits what Tesla is doing in India. The same week, evo India reported a free Acceleration Boost for the Model Y L, the six-seat SUV, which now goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. The Roadster gets the headlines. The Model Y and Model Y L are the cars Tesla actually sells here today.

Watch on YouTube

The big takeaway

Tesla has turned a long-delayed sports car into a global show, and India is now part of the queue. The booking is real. The deposit is huge. The price is unknown, and production only starts in 2028. For most young Indians, the Roadster is not a shopping decision. It is a lesson in how big brands use one wild product to make everyone talk about them.

As it was first published

Tesla opens Roadster bookings in India, but nobody knows the price yet