Vedanta boss Anil Agarwal on Elon Musk unveiling flying car: ‘We saw these in science fiction movies and books’

Musk’s redesigned Tesla Roadster, developed in collaboration with SpaceX, demonstrated the electric sports car performing aerial manoeuvres using rocket-style thrusters.

Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal expressed his awe at the rapid pace of technological innovation following Tesla CEO Elon Musk's latest showcase of advanced robotics and flying vehicles.

Musk’s redesigned Tesla Roadster, developed in collaboration with SpaceX, demonstrated the electric sports car performing aerial manoeuvres using rocket-style thrusters.

Tesla unveiled the redesigned Roadster on Thursday, showcasing a white two-seater vehicle that performed a series of dramatic manoeuvres, including turning in mid-air and jumping over other vehicles.

Quick answers to key questions

•5

QUESTIONS

Agarwal said flying cars and running robots had once been concepts from science fiction, but were now becoming real. He praised the combination of risk-taking entrepreneurship and cutting-edge science.

He saw it as an example of rapid innovation in mobility and technology. Agarwal said bold business leadership combined with scientific development can change the world.

The redesigned Roadster was demonstrated using rocket-style thrusters developed with SpaceX. It performed aerial manoeuvres, including turning in mid-air, before landing.

The demonstration showed short aerial manoeuvres, but did not establish a practical flight range or routine. It does not show that the Roadster can replace conventional road or air transport.

Tesla said production of the redesigned Roadster would begin in 2028. The company has not specified a target price for the model at the latest event.

Developed in collaboration with Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, the vehicle features rocket-style thrusters that were demonstrated during the event.

‘Saw these in science fiction movies and books’

Taking to X, the billionaire industrialist highlighted how rapid advancements in mobility and artificial intelligence are bringing futuristic concepts into the mainstream.

“Flying cars and running robots! Not long ago, we saw these in science fiction movies and books. Today, they are real,” Agarwal wrote, reacting to the tech billionaire's latest showcase.

For Agarwal, whose own conglomerate operates in the traditional, capital-intensive sectors of mining and metals, the leap in autonomous and futuristic tech represented a broader triumph of business innovation.

He praised the synergy between scientific development and bold business leadership, adding: “What an amazing time we live in. When risk-taking entrepreneurship and cutting-edge science combine, they change the world.”

Tesla Roadster: Production timeline, speed and range

Tesla said production of the redesigned Roadster would begin in 2028, more than a decade after the company first unveiled a prototype of the next-generation electric sports car.

Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said the Roadster could accelerate from zero to 60 mph (97 kph) in less than one second and reach a top speed of more than 230 mph (370 kph).

"Definitely much faster than that," Musk said, adding, "I think you've got to crack halfway to the speed of sound."

The vehicle is also expected to offer a range of more than 300 miles (480 km) on a single charge. That is less than half the range Musk promised in 2017, when Tesla first revealed a prototype of the second-generation Roadster and said deliveries would begin in 2020.

Tesla has not specified a target price for the redesigned model at the latest event. Nearly a decade ago, the company quoted a base price of $200,000 for the vehicle.

The original Roadster, launched in 2008 and sold until 2012, was Tesla’s first electric vehicle and used a Lotus Elise chassis. The model helped establish the company’s early credentials in electric sports cars before it expanded its lineup to include the Model S and Model 3 sedans and Model X and Model Y SUVs.