Recap: Elon Musk in a series of tweets revealed that the next-gen Tesla Roadster might not ship until 2023. The car was expected to start shipping in 2020, but of course that didn't happen. It is Tesla we're talking about, after all, a company that is notorious for missing launch windows. In fairness, 2020 was also the year of the pandemic, and the effects as it relates to the global supply chain shortage are still lingering (and could be around for another couple of years).

Musk, if you recall, revealed the second generation Roadster way back in 2017 alongside its electric semi truck. Modeled after Tesla's very first car (which itself was based on a Lotus Elise), the new Roadster ups the ante across the board.

The $200,000 sports car aims to be the quickest production car in the world, with a claimed 0-60 speed of just 1.9 seconds. It'll also be able to hit 100 mph from a stop in just 4.2 seconds with a top speed of over 250 mph (assuming it isn't software-limited by Tesla). If Tesla can deliver on those performance numbers, and at that price point, supercar manufacturers are going to have a lot of worried customers on their hands.

When asked for an update on the new Roadster on Twitter, Musk mentioned the nightmare that 2021 has been thus far.

Assuming there is no "mega drama" next year, however, he said the new Roadster should ship in 2023. And it might even have an option for rocket boosters.

Image credit Steve Jurvetson