"Is This Not AI?"... Tesla Astounds the World

[Anchor]

US electric vehicle maker Tesla has unveiled a new sports car. Incorporating technology from aerospace company SpaceX, the vehicle even drove across ceilings and soared into the air. However, despite the flashy demonstration, many hurdles remain before its actual release.

Reporter Choi Seung-hun has the details.

[Reporter]

A white, angular vehicle ascends a large curved ramp without falling and even hangs upside down.

After climbing the ramp once more, the vehicle leaps off upside down, emitting a cloud of smoke as it spins in the air and lands.

This time, it leaps entirely over a line of five parked cars in a single bound.

[Elon Musk / Tesla CEO: To prove that this is not an AI-generated video, we needed 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 applying SpaceX rocket technology to lift the car body or control its posture in the air.

When hanging upside down, fans at the bottom of the vehicle spin to suck in air, firmly pressing the car against the road surface.

[Lars Moravy / VP of Vehicle Engineering, Tesla: The suction device at the bottom of the car body generates a force equivalent to up to twice the vehicle's weight, allowing it to run even upside down.]

Tesla stated that its own acceleration tests showed the car reaching 97 km/h from a standstill in 0.81 seconds.

While the astonishing technology drew praise, the possibility of actual commercialization remains uncertain.

The Roadster was first launched as Tesla's initial mass-produced electric vehicle in 2008. The second-generation model, unveiled in 2017, failed to meet its promised 2020 release date and has remained unmass-produced for nine years.

Tesla has once again teased mass production for 2028 and is accepting pre-orders, but final sales prices and delivery dates have not been determined.

In particular, pre-order opportunities for the flying Roadster are limited to invited guests.

The demonstration was conducted via autonomous driving without a driver for safety reasons, and it remains uncertain whether flying capabilities will be permitted in everyday life.

[Elon Musk / Tesla CEO: This car is not necessarily optimized for safety. But when it comes to fun, it is an 11 out of 10.]

Market observers evaluate the vehicle as a symbolic showcase of Tesla's technological prowess rather than a product for general sale.

Video by Choi Jin-hwa | Graphics by Park Tae-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.