Flying Roadsters can’t lift Tesla’s flat Q3 revenues

<figure> <img alt="Elon Musk against a purple background of Tesla logos." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23382326/VRG_Illo_STK022_K_Radtke_Musk_Tesla.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">As the smoke clears from <a href="https://www.theverge.com/transportation/1012783/tesla-roadster-flying-stunt-production-reality-musk">its outrageous Roadster demo</a>, Tesla reported Q3 earnings on Wednesday - and the cold reality is that revenue has flatlined.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tesla said it earned $1.7 billion in net income on $28.0 billion in revenue in the quarter that ended in September 2026. Revenues were flat, while profits dropped 4 percent compared to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/803886/tesla-q3-2025-earnings-revenue-profit-ev-elon-musk">the third quarter of 2025</a>, when the company earned $1.4 billion in net income on $28.1 billion in revenue. Tesla's revenue came in above Wall Street expectations of $27.9 billion, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/21/tesla-tsla-q3-2026-earnings-report.html">according to data compiled by LSEG</a>. Tesla's own company-compiled expectations predicted Q3 revenues of $28.3 billion. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The earnings …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/transportation/1015790/tesla-q3-2026-earnings-revenue-profit-roadster-spacex-merger">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>