Tesla sues Top Gear for libel

[TonyMeister]

I think electric cars are utterly, utterly useless and Tesla is a Ponzi scheme.

[immiketoo]

You are correct, not even close, but the idiocy of Tesla taking an entertainment show seriously is of the same vein. All I'm saying is that TG bashes on all kinds of cars/manufacturers. Not everyone sues them, even though TG has said some seriously bad things about other marques.

[Sniz]

if what they claim is true, BBC is going to owe some $$ for sure.

I wonder if they have GPS based hidden datalogging on the car that shows all the reality of what happened.

That would be some serious evidence in court I would think.

[M3_WC]

Nice try Telsa, way to make people hate you more.

They continue to take deposits on the Telsa S to prop up the original Telsa roadster that was not profitable.

[Year's_End]

I can't believe so many of you are supporting TG and giving Tesla shit.

Despite the fact that most car enthusiasts understand that TG is more entertainment than fact, there are still tons of people that don't understand that. The segment could easily fuck with Tesla sales, which is completely unfair and deserves some justification on the BBC's part.

[Sniz]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

I can't believe so many of you are supporting TG and giving Tesla shit.

Despite the fact that most car enthusiasts understand that TG is more entertainment than fact, there are still tons of people that don't understand that. The segment could easily fuck with Tesla sales, which is completely unfair and deserves some justification on the BBC's part.

I agree if what they claim is true, thats just not cool. Your messing with someone's livelyhood, I cant support that.

love Top Gear though.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

I can't believe so many of you are supporting TG and giving Tesla shit.

Despite the fact that most car enthusiasts understand that TG is more entertainment than fact, there are still tons of people that don't understand that. The segment could easily fuck with Tesla sales, which is completely unfair and deserves some justification on the BBC's part.

Agreed. Its fine if they blast a car for being useless of pointless, but if they lie about a car not working as designed that is another thing.

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

I can't believe so many of you are supporting TG and giving Tesla shit.

Despite the fact that most car enthusiasts understand that TG is more entertainment than fact, there are still tons of people that don't understand that. The segment could easily fuck with Tesla sales, which is completely unfair and deserves some justification on the BBC's part.

My problems with Telsa come way before this stunt.

[HPFREAK]

Well if tesla can sue over this, then Ford should be able to sue over the insane amount of false info TG has spread over the years about the Mustangs. A few years ago Richard reviewed the GT500 and calimed that it does not produce 500hp after putting it on a dyno and showing that it "only" made 450 to the wheels, so it really doesnt deserve the name "GT500". So they do not understand that ALL car companies rate HP at the crank or flywheel and that if you factor in the standard 12% drivetrain loss for manual trans it puts the car right above 500HP!. Despite these issues I still love TG, but I never listen to any of their advice or opinions and take them as fact. Not only that, but in one of Jeremy's independant Car programs he raced a horse against a mustang, and said the mustang has a 300HP V8 when it was painfully clear the mustang he was driving was the V6 automatic version and they dubbed engine noise in the show.

Then in another episode(S10e10) Richard raced a G-Wiz electric car against what he claimed was a 500hp mustang, and it was clear that it was the Hertz shelby GT-H that had the 319hp V8 in it. So they are very very liberal with their "facts".lol

They are a pure entertainment show, and have never claimed to know what they are talking about or that anyone should listen to what they say.

Tesla just needs to take it as it is and see that TG is brutal about most cars. This is nothing new. Sounds like Tesla just wants money, period. Pretty pathetic.

[.:bHd:.]

BBC responded

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12907367

[ptack]

Tesla is either:
A) So desperate for money that they are willing to risk further global ridicule (deserved or not) from TG.
B) Desperate for publicity and a negotiated 2nd chance on TG (also very risky).
C) Stupid

Trying to sue people who are immensely popular, outspoken and quite irrespresible is like trying to win an argument with a 600 lb gorilla. Tesla may think they can win something in the court of law, but they have zero chance if they get in the cage where it really counts - the court of public opinion. Maybe Tesla already knows it's doomed and it's all reason A.

[JIM E92]

As PT Barnum said "All publicity is good publicity". I would bet if you asked 100 people on the street if they know Tesla Motors only 5 would answer yes.

This is exactly why Jay Leno did not want to be host of Top Gear America.

[BruceJ]

Originally Posted by JIM E92

As PT Barnum said "All publicity is good publicity". I would bet if you asked 100 people on the street if they know Tesla Motors only 5 would answer yes.

This is exactly why Jay Leno did not want to be host of Top Gear America.

That would be the best thing that could come out of this. Jay Leno TG America. He could bash Tesla and TG Uk. Might even save TG America.

[MikeyV]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

I can't believe so many of you are supporting TG and giving Tesla shit.

Despite the fact that most car enthusiasts understand that TG is more entertainment than fact, there are still tons of people that don't understand that. The segment could easily fuck with Tesla sales, which is completely unfair and deserves some justification on the BBC's part.

Yeah right, the kind of people who can afford a Tesla Roadster aren't stupid, these are expensive cars which appeal to early adopters not your average trailer park living beer swilling gun totting American!!

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

I can't believe so many of you are supporting TG and giving Tesla shit.

Despite the fact that most car enthusiasts understand that TG is more entertainment than fact, there are still tons of people that don't understand that. The segment could easily fuck with Tesla sales, which is completely unfair and deserves some justification on the BBC's part.

Top Gear is a show with the goal of providing entertainment, NOT factual-based information. Not once do I recall the show making the assertion that their presentations should be taken as fact.

It is Tesla's fault for not doing their homework prior to providing Top Gear with examples of their vehicles.

I mean really, do you want companies to go around suing every satire or parody of their product? That sets a terrible precedent, in my opinion.

[330CIZHP]

Originally Posted by TonyMeister

I think electric cars are utterly, utterly useless and Tesla is a Ponzi scheme.

x 2

A sore loser Tesla is expected to be doing this since they were in it to make a quick buck on the back of hybrid craze in Hollywood back in the mid-2000s when Leo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz were making a fashion statement through driving their Prius'.

Tesla is a failing company with huge financial issues almost nearing bankruptcy. The CEO sank all of the investor's money without any returns. If Toyota had not invested $50 million in the company, most likely they would have been already bankrupt. Their cars are not selling since it has too many downsides.

They would do everything they can to make a quick buck through filing a lawsuit against TopGear. They need all the help they can get.

[HPFREAK]

Watch out they may sue you for slander/libel/being a big mean man about their crappy/shitty/useless shit box.

Originally Posted by TonyMeister

I think electric cars are utterly, utterly useless and Tesla is a Ponzi scheme.

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by HPFREAK

Watch out they may sue you for slander/libel/being a big mean man about their crappy/shitty/useless shit box.

That's an opinion, not a false claim tho...

[E90SLAM]

Round 2...BBC Top Gear fights back...

http://transmission.blogs.topgear.co...-legal-action/

You may know that Tesla has issued a writ against Top Gear for defamation and malicious falsehood over the road test that we broadcast of the Tesla Roadster in December 2008. The normal procedure for the BBC in a legal case is to acknowledge receipt of the other party’s claim, and then say no more and get on with preparing its defence for court.

Tesla, however, doesn’t seem content to wait for the legal eagles to settle matters. On the contrary, it’s been very busy promoting its side of the argument through the media. Why even last night the Top Gear office accidentally received an email sent from a Public Relations firm to The One Show, asking if it would like to have the Tesla spokesperson on their programme to talk about the case. It says: “PHA Media represent Tesla and this could make for a fantastic interview.” And the PHA man’s not finished there. “The presenters could have some fun with this.” He adds. “Matt and Alex could even take the Tesla for a spin and test it out, reaffirming its virtues?” Plenty of respect for editorial independence in that last line there and I wish the chaps from PHA Media all the best in their crusade.


However, back to Top Gear, and yes, normally we would follow the pre-legal etiquette of keeping schtum until we get our day in court, but since the other side are being quite noisy with their views on how we conduct ourselves, I just would like to point out one or two things to Top Gear viewers:

1. We never said that the Tesla’s true range is only 55 miles, as opposed to their own claim of 211, or that it had actually ran out of charge. In the film our actual words were: “We calculated that on our track it would run out after 55 miles”. The first point here is that the track is where we do our tests of sports cars and supercars, as has happened ever since Top Gear existed. This is where cars are driven fast and hard, and since Tesla calls its roadster “The Supercar. Redefined.” it seemed pretty logical to us that the right test was a track test. The second point is that the figure of 55 miles came not from our heads, but from Tesla’s boffins in California. They looked at the data from that car and calculated that, driven hard on our track, it would have a range of 55 miles.

2. We never said that the Tesla was completely immobilized as a result of the motor overheating. We said the car had “reduced power”. This was true.

3. Tesla claims we were lying when we said the brakes were “broken”. They now say that all that had happened was that the fuse to the vacuum pump had failed, which meant that the brake just had to be pushed down much harder than usual. Well – to my mind, if the brakes are broken, then they’re broken, and if this happened to your car, you’d take it to the garage to get it fixed. Odd it seems so trivial to Tesla now, because on the day of filming they insisted on repairing the fuse before we could carry on driving the car.

The above points will be argued over in the near future by brainy people wearing wigs, but in a layman’s nutshell, this is where we stand on the matter. Before I finish though, I must clear up one important issue: scripting. It’s alleged by Tesla that on the day of filming one of their employees caught sight of a script that had been written, before the car had even been driven, already containing the verdict that in the “real world” the Tesla doesn’t work. This, they say, proves our guilt, because we’d condemned the car in advance. May I just say in reply:

a) The truth is, Top Gear had already driven the car prior to filming, to enable us to form a view on it in advance

b) Our primary reasoning behind the verdict had nothing to do with how the Tesla performed; our conclusion was based mainly on the fact that it costs three times more than the petrol sports car upon which it’s based. It takes a long time to recharge, so you can’t use it as easily for the carefree motoring journeys that are a prerequisite of sports car driving. You can actually reach that conclusion without driving the car. As it happens, when it did come to the subjective area of how the car drove on the track, we were full of praise for its performance and handling.

c) Just so you understand there’s nothing devious going on, you need to know how this filming business works. When you film a car review, the reviewer is only the tip of the iceberg. Behind the lens is a film crew, and only a day’s worth of light to shoot the eight minute film. This means we have to prepare in advance a treatment – a rough draft of a script so that the director and film crew can get to work right away, knowing what shots they will need to capture. It will contain the facts about a car, and what we think of its looks and so on, but how well the car actually drives is added on the day. If we’ve driven it ahead of filming, as we do with most cars, we will also have an idea how it feels to drive. But, and this is crucial, as we uncover fresh information about a car whilst filming it, it is entirely normal for the treatment to be modified as the day unfolds. Jeremy is always tweaking the scripts to reflect what his driving experience has actually been on the day.

There you go. I’ve said my bit, and now we’ll hopefully shut up and prepare for our day in court.

PS: As this is going through the courts right now, we’re afraid we’ve had to turn off comments on this one, but we wanted to let you all know how we see it.

Andy Wilman is the Executive Producer of Top Gear

[blue2fire]

For the record, i really think this is an extremely stupid idea. They locked themselves and their future product out of the worlds biggest car show by far.

What did they expect, Jeremy moaning over the sound track it belted out like he did with the F430 Scuderia?

[deshields]

If the day comes that we all drive electric cars, the one car i wont ever own is a Tesla, after this affair.

Suing a car entertainment program for libel in reviewing their car? Really? Why does it seem the solution to everyones problems in California is to sue? How about this, if what top gear says is a lie, then prove them wrong, if what they say is correct, how about improving your product. A lawsuit to shut Top Gear up is a laughable, its a shame the culture on the west coast has people believing that a lawsuit actually will scare or change the actions of people who live outside of the great state

This is going to come out one way or the other, and I'm willing to bet that Tesla's integrity is down the tubes after this affair.