Tesla’s brief airborne Roadster demonstration coincided with divergent third-quarter deliveries among major electric-vehicle makers, while the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global electric-car sales to keep growing in 2026.
Footage from Tesla’s Texas event on Thursday, Oct. 15, showed the redesigned car rise briefly and rotate, using cold-gas thrusters alongside a suction system. Elon Musk set 2028 as the production target, Reuters reported. Tesla’s U.S. reservation agreement describes the car as still under development, leaves its eventual price unsettled and says delivery is not guaranteed.
Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, about 2% fewer than the 497,099 delivered in the same period a year earlier. Rivian’s deliveries rose to 19,248 from 13,201, a gain of about 46%; the company maintained its 2026 forecast of 65,000 to 70,000 vehicles. Lucid delivered 3,806 cars, down about 7% from 4,078, and produced 2,954. Lucid said it handed over more vehicles than it built while reducing inventory and adjusting production to near-term demand.
The IEA says electric-car sales topped 20 million in 2025, 20% higher than a year earlier and about one-quarter of new-car sales. Its July update put second-quarter 2026 sales 35% above the first quarter and 4% above the same period in 2025. The agency projected sales growth of about 10% for 2026, with electric cars making up 29% of total global car sales. That is higher than its May estimate of 23 million sales and a 28% share.
Policy shifts have affected U.S. demand. The IEA said electric-car sales in the fourth quarter of 2025 were 45% below a year earlier after tax credits ended following September 2025. It said some buyers moved purchases forward ahead of the change.
The delivery totals do not establish each company’s financial performance. Tesla says deliveries alone should not be treated as an indicator of quarterly results. Tesla scheduled its earnings release for Wednesday, Oct. 21, after market close, followed by Rivian on Oct. 29 and Lucid on Nov. 9.
