Tesla's long-delayed next-generation Roadster could stage a brief hover demonstration at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas, test site as soon as August 2026, in a scaled-back showcase of the company's SpaceX-linked "A71" cold-gas thruster package. The limited-edition vehicle is expected to be remotely operated with no driver inside and to lift off the ground only briefly, making it closer to a hovering car than a conventional flying-car concept. Reporting says the plan has been simplified from earlier ideas that included driving up a magnetized ramp and operating upside down. The thruster-equipped Roadster is expected to be non-street-legal and could cost from the hundreds of thousands of dollars into the millions, while the broader Roadster program has missed at least eight delivery targets since reservations opened in 2017. Musk has reportedly told staff the demonstration "could go wrong," underscoring the technical and safety risks around the high-noise thruster system, which may require spectators to remain several hundred yards away. The report arrives as Tesla shares remain under pressure in 2026, with the stock down 24.41% year to date to $339.96 at the Aug. 13 close and trading at $338.90 on Aug. 14, as investors focus more on deliveries, margins and capital spending than on concept demonstrations.