Did Elon Musk release a flying car? No, but that false claim took off on Facebook

On Facebook, a claim about a new invention by billionaire Elon Musk is taking off.

“After years of anticipation, Elon Musk is finally releasing his first flying car today,” a Nov. 29 post read. “This innovative Tesla car is totally different from the flying cars other companies boast about.”

It cited Musk saying, “Our New Flying Cars Will Hit The Market TODAY.”

Figure 1: Screenshot of claim about Musk releasing a flying car, with False graphic, 12-02-2024

(Screenshot from Facebook)

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Despite the caption saying this innovation is “different,” reverse image search showed that the top two photos are connected to Jetson, a Swedish company specializing in electric vertical take-off and landing.

Its aircraft, the Jetson ONE, is drone-like in its operation and does not require a pilot’s license. It cannot be flown in densely populated areas or near airports, Business Insider reported. It had its first flight in the U.S. in Texas in October 2023.

The Jetson ONE uses Tesla battery cells, which provide a flight time of 20 minutes. But this aircraft is not mentioned on Tesla’s website.

The post’s top-left image is similar to a photo uploaded by Axios in an October 2023 article about Jetson, while the top-right image of the person in a black shirt manning the vehicle is from a 2022 Jetson YouTube video.

On its website, Jetson says its 2024 and 2025 production is sold out but it is taking orders for 2026. The aircraft is priced at $128,000 before taxes and fees, with a downpayment of $8,000.

Musk has made claims that Tesla’s Roadster sports car — which is still in development — may have flying capabilities. He posted June 15 on X, “The new Tesla Roadster can fly.” According to an Oct. 23 Fortune report, Musk remarked on billionaire Peter Thiel’s desire for flying cars, saying, “We’ll see, more to come.”

There has been an uptick of Facebook posts about innovations attributed to Musk, but these creations don’t exist.

For now, fantasies of a Tesla flying car remain grounded. We rate claims that Musk has released such a car False.