Tesla's Flying Roadster Fuels SpaceX Merger Speculation on Wall Street

Tesla unveiled a flying version of its rebooted Roadster at a SpaceX facility, but the spectacle has fueled Wall Street speculation about a potential Tesla-SpaceX merger rather than interest in the car itself. The demo Roadster performed aerial maneuvers using cold-gas thrusters, including a barrel roll and powered jump, and accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 0.81 seconds. However, the flying car is not for sale, and even the standard Roadster won't enter production until 2028. Analysts cite intertwined operations, including Tesla's $2 billion SpaceX share purchase and shared engineering, as merger catalysts. Barclays expects an announcement within weeks, though neither company has confirmed such plans, and any deal would require shareholder and regulatory approval.