[Anchor]
U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla has unveiled a new sports car. Incorporating technology from aerospace company SpaceX, it even drove on a ceiling and soared through the air. However, despite the flashy demonstration, many hurdles remain before its actual release.
Choi Seung-hun has the report.
[Reporter]
A white, angular vehicle climbs up a large curved ramp without falling and even hangs upside down.
After climbing the ramp once more, the vehicle jumps off upside down, emitting a cloud of smoke as it spins in the air and lands.
This time, it leaps over a line of five cars at once.
[Elon Musk / Tesla CEO: To prove that this is not an AI-generated video, we need an audience. Even seeing it with your own eyes, you will find it hard to believe.]
This is the new electric sports car, the Roadster, unveiled by Tesla.
It uses compressed-air thrusters utilizing SpaceX rocket technology to lift the vehicle body or control its posture in the air.
When hanging upside down, a fan on the bottom of the car body spins to suck in air, firmly pressing the vehicle against the road surface.
[Lars Moravy / Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering: The suction device on the underside of the car creates a force up to twice the vehicle's weight, allowing it to drive even while upside down.]
Tesla stated that in its own acceleration tests, the car reached 97 km/h (60 mph) from a standstill in 0.81 seconds.
While praise poured in for the remarkable technology, the possibility of actual commercialization remains uncertain.
The Roadster was first released as Tesla's initial mass-produced electric vehicle in 2008, but the second-generation model unveiled in 2017 failed to meet its promised 2020 release date and has not been mass-produced for nine years.
Tesla has announced mass production for 2028 and is accepting pre-orders, but final sales prices and delivery dates have not been determined.
In particular, the flying-version Roadster offers pre-order opportunities exclusively to invited guests.
Considering safety, this demonstration was conducted via autonomous driving without a driver, and it remains unclear whether flight capabilities will be permitted in everyday life.
[Elon Musk / Tesla CEO: This car is not necessarily optimized for safety. But for fun, it is an 11 out of 10.]
Market evaluations suggest that rather than being for general sale, it is a symbolic vehicle showcasing Tesla's technological prowess.
(Video Editing: Choi Jin-hwa, Design: Park Tae-young)
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