Top Gear in Doo Doo again ala Tesla

So what's Tesla issue? Are they claiming both cars didn't actually break down and Top Gear manufactured the report? If so, they clearly have a legitimate complaint.

If both cars did fail -which it seems they did- are they just upset over a review which states the facts and presents their product in a bad light?

I'll take an overrun induced, flame belching exhaust over whatever a 1000 lb. battery can produce.

 

Dude, this episode is like 2-3 year old.

 

Dudes: More coverage, like, here: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/03/tesla-sues-top-gear-for-libel/

 

Oh dude you said "again" and I had no clue how they were in trouble 'again' for something years old.

Nonetheless I get your point now. Dude.

 

Dude!!!
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I read the complaint and the whole thing is a joke. First Tesla used "Laserfrom International" legal forms for the lawsuit. I looked them up and the form I found was 5 pounds... (like $8 USD) Imagine if GM sued someone with a form they got off legalzoom.

Then the claims they make are just silly. Here's a cut from the suit:

Only problem? Here's Clarkson's exact words:

"Oh... I don't believe this. The motor has overheated and I have reduced power."

While on screen they showed the car driving slowly. Isn't that the same thing?

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They claimed that Clarkson said the car only got 55 miles to a charge and they say the number is really like 211 or something (I forget)

Here's Clarkson's exact quote:

"...although Tesla say it will do 200 miles we worked out that on our track it would run out after just 55 miles ..."

Duh, he talking about being flogged on the track. He's made that point about dozens of cars. It's a fair thing to measure considering they sell it as a 'supercar' (their word) if I bought it I'd want to know how long I could track it before it died.

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And then there is the brake thing:

Clarkson's exact words "while it was being charged its brakes had broken"

Tesla's reply was that the brakes themselves were not broken, they only blew the brake fuse and that the brakes really worked, you just had to push them harder.

I'm no lawyer but I call that broken brakes.

The whole suit is written more like a blog post than a legal document... This is just a publicly stunt. Frankly reading this thing I am forced to wonder if they are trying to distract people from a bad earnings report or similar. To sue over this 3 years after it aired just smacks of desperation.

 

i could never accuse TP or JC of being "fair" all the time, but i don't see how or why they'd be out to specifically target tesla
the 55 miles vs 211 miles range makes sense, especially in an electric car, your use would dramatically change the mileage
like most things with JC it's likely a half hearted apology 'might' come out, and otherwise blow-over LOL

 

It's really hard to say. I'm sure Top Gear exaggerates in some of their reviews, and they definitely are not fans of American cars.

On the other hand, it is true that this review is old and it seems strange that Tesla would be throwing a lawsuit at them now, especially since they are in deep financial trouble.

Experts are saying that Tesla probably won't gain much even if they win the lawsuit.

Chris

 

They will gain some ridicule from fans of Top Gear, just in case that was one of their target customer demographics.

EDIT: more coverage, explains the TG side of it better, http://www.autoobserver.com/2011/03/tesla-sues-bbc-over-2008-review.html

 

No expert needed there. From the complaint:

"The Claimants expect to recover not more than £100,000."

Like I said, publicly stunt

 

When a few friends and I got one to test we saw the sane overheat protection come on. The problem is this thing is an awesome little go kart which begs to be beaten on and even with the cutting edge tech they have it can quite handle it. They're light years ahead of anyone else and likely if I owned the car, which I did seriously consider, you would never get into the overheat protection, but for and abusive test, we did. I'd also note that if you took out a gen 1 Porsche 996 on the track and flogged it to a similar level, you would overheat it and fade the brakes to uselessness so keep it in perspective. My 3 cents.

 

TG, and Clarkson especially, should immediately apologize and rescind any comments which may possibly suggest that ........

















....... the car was a blast.

At least amend it to say that "The Tesla works perfectly adequately, when it works."
That oughta make the whiners at Tesla happy.

 

The Dude abides!
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The BBC dudes are all over it.

 

Following the Dailytech's source link... Some dude from the BBC just rips them http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2011/04/02/tesla-vs-top-gear-andy-wilman-on-our-current-legal-action/

Worth the read.

 

Andy Wilman is just some dude?

He is the executive producer from Top Gear

 

Dude, did ya read the rest of the thread?

 

I am too old to own an electric car.

where do you put the Tubi?

 

Where can I get the Colt 45 shirt? It's Epic, solid and totally rad...dude!