Tesla has filed two new trademark applications for the Roadster, including one that reveals what appears to be the first official updated silhouette of the long-delayed electric sports car.
The filings, submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 3, offer a glimpse at the branding Tesla plans to use for the vehicle that has been “coming next year” for nearly a decade.
New trademark filings
The first trademark application covers a stylized “ROADSTER” wordmark in a stretched, angular font with segmented letters that give it a futuristic, high-performance aesthetic.
The second filing is more interesting: it shows a sleek vehicle silhouette consisting of three flowing curved lines that form what appears to be the Roadster’s profile. According to the filing, the design depicts “a triangle design consisting of three flowing, curved lines.”
Both applications were filed on an “intent to use” basis, meaning Tesla hasn’t used these logos commercially yet but plans to do so. Trademark attorney Josh Gerben noted in a blog post that this approach allows Tesla to “lock in a nationwide priority date, preventing third parties from attempting to register the same or confusingly similar marks after the logos are publicly announced.”
We recently reported that Tesla mishandled trademarks on a couple of occasions.
Long history of delays
If you’ve been following the Roadster saga, you know this vehicle has been perpetually two years away since its unveiling in 2017. CEO Elon Musk unveiled the next-generation Roadster prototype alongside the Tesla Semi in November 2017, promising production in 2020.
That didn’t happen.
The production date was pushed back multiple times, first to 2022, then 2023, then 2024. Last year, Musk reiterated 2025 production, but by October 2024, he was already waffling, saying the design was only “close to” being finalized.
In November 2025, Tesla officially pushed the Roadster demo to April 1, 2026, with production now expected in 2027 or 2028. Musk joked that holding the demo on April Fools’ Day gives him “some deniability” if things don’t go as planned.
Flying claims and SpaceX package
Adding to the mystique, or absurdity, depending on your perspective, Musk has repeatedly claimed that the Roadster will be able to “fly” thanks to a “SpaceX package” featuring cold-air thrusters. He has even suggested that the Roadster “won’t really be a car” and could hover above the ground.
In a January interview, Musk said, “If safety is your number one goal, don’t buy the Roadster,” adding that it would be “the best of the last of the human-driven cars.”
Electrek’s Take
Trademark filings are not the best indicators of a product launch getting closer, but we will take it.
Given the Roadster’s track record of broken promises, we’ll believe it when we see it. The silhouette looks sleeker, a bit squarer at the roof’s apex than the previous prototype:
The featured image at the top has been edited to make it look closer to the lines – assuming Tesla stays with the overall design, which is not a given, considering that it is almost a decade old.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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