Tesla signals Oct 1 launch for long-delayed Roadster

Sept. 12 (Reuters) - Tesla TSLA.O on Saturday posted a countdown on its website pointing to an October 1 launch of the Roadster, nearly a decade after the electric-vehicle maker first revealed a next-generation version of its original sports car.

Tesla posted "Go for launch" on social media platform X alongside a graphic displaying the date "10.01".

The Information reported in August that Tesla planned to unveil a redesigned Roadster as early as that month.

The event could include a demonstration of a limited-edition version equipped with cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX SPCX.O, the report said, with the demonstration expected to take place at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas.

Tesla first unveiled the next-generation Roadster in 2017 and said deliveries would begin in 2020, but the program has faced repeated delays.

This comes as the electric-vehicle maker last week began offering rides in its two-seater Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals, in limited areas of Austin, Texas, a vehicle Musk has described as key to transforming Tesla into a dominant force in driverless vehicles.