Tesla was founded way back in 2003, and in that time it has produced several different consumer automobiles. The Tesla Cybertruck, which turned out to be way more expensive than Elon Musk initially promised , is among the company's latest four-wheel offerings, but most longtime automobile enthusiasts likely think of its car models rather than its angular trucks. Case in point, its very first foray into car manufacturing, the electric-powered Tesla Roadster, which arrived in 2008 before being unceremoniously discontinued a mere few years later in 2012.
Why such a short production run? The end of the Tesla Roadster came largely as a result of a lack of parts — specifically glider kits, which contain such elements as frames, front axles, and bodies. Tesla's established agreement with Lotus Cars to supply 2,500 gliders reached its end in 2011, meaning the end of the Roadster entirely. Additionally, the company shifted focus to another vehicle, the Model S sedan, which hit the streets for the first time in 2012.
Musk himself even admitted that the Roadster wasn't intended to stick around for long, explaining in a 2009 interview with Kevin Pollack that the plan was for a short yet expensive run to help fund future longer runs of other Tesla models. As of publication, it has been well over a decade since the Tesla Roadster rode off into the sunset, but we haven't seen the last of it just yet. Despite not sticking around for long, as the Tesla Model S earned its place as the brand'.