Elon Musk reveals flying Tesla Roadster but makes unexpected admission about its safety

Elon Musk and Tesla unveiled a new version of the Tesla Roadster at the SpaceX facility in Texas on Thursday, with a demonstration that could have gone terribly wrong.

The futuristic vehicle uses SpaceX technology to launch into the air, flip and briefly hover before landing with the help of air jets.

The car will be able to go from 0 to 60 mph in record time of less than a second, he said, which was later demonstrated.

There was no driver inside the vehicle during the demonstration, with Musk explaining that it was 'to make sure we don’t kill anyone.'

“Success is not guaranteed,” he said. “I mean that. It’ll probably work, but if it doesn’t work, we’re at a safe distance.”

"Excitement is 100 percent guaranteed," he added.

Elsewhere, the businessman said the car was not necessarily 'safety optimized' despite its extraordinary capabilities.

Luckily, no one was hurt, and everything ran smoothly.

After nearly a decade of delays, the crowd erupted into cheers as the car sped up a ramp, before flipping in mid-air and safely landing.

"Well, it worked," the Tesla CEO told the crowd. "Phew. Flying cars are real."

Elsewhere, a 'Kickflip' was demonstrated, which saw the car fly and flip over five parked cars before safely landing once again.

Musk described the technology of the vehicle, which uses 10 nozzles, as 'the results of what happens when you have a collaboration with the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company.'

He then told the audience to 'tell people they saw it' to prove it wasn't AI. Contrary to popular belief, however, it doesn't look like the car can fly long distances. Having an audience present probably was a good idea, as few people would have believed it otherwise.

Taking to Musk's platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, one user penned: "This is one of the top-3 craziest things I’ve ever seen."

Another wrote: "I thought this was AI but no that’s real what the hell that’s crazy cool dude."

"The FSD version of this will be something:) congrats!" another comment read.

Musk responded: "Thanks. It’s such an honor working with incredible engineers."

The vehicle is expected to into production in 2028, and is said to be the final car Tesla will design primarily for human driving. For those who want to get their hands on one, it's not yet certain how much money customers need to save up, as Tesla has not announced the price.

When reservations first opened in 2017, the Roadster was advertised at $200,000, while the limited Founders Series was priced at $250,000. However, following years of delays and the addition of SpaceX-inspired technology, it remains unclear how much the latest version will cost.

It is still unclear whether the flying version will be allowed on public roads, with Tesla yet to clarify the rules around its flying capabilities.