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I just can't see how Tesla can win this case in court. As anyone who has ever watched Jeremy Clarkson will tell you, you know he would rather resign from Top Ge

• dman 16y ago
  I think any victory in courts is going to be a pyrrhic one. Ive said it before on earlier threads and I will say it again here - Tesla is alienating a large section of auto enthusiasts by going after Top Gear. It might be that some marketing guru has figured out that suing Top Gear is a cheaper way to get headlines than running a campaign. But they have picked the wrong target - Top Gear is at the heart and centre of Auto culture worldwide. Also not a good sign when a tech company starts using the courts instead of the market and their product to win points.
  • trafficlight 16y ago
    Just look how it turned out for Morris Marina fans.
  • kwis 16y ago
    I've got a deposit down on a Model S, and I don't think I could care less one way or the other. I thought the review was misleading and stupid, and I think the lawsuit is a stupid response. But whatever, I'm still excited about the Model S.
    • protomyth 16y ago
      Since you have a deposit down, just out of curiosity, are you a home owner?
    • blhack 16y ago
      What part of it did you think was misleading? At least according to this article, everything they said in it was true (and was supported by Tesla)
      • reitzensteinm 16y ago
        While it didn't directly involve Tesla, what got me about that episode was the claim that battery cars are totally irrelevent because of 'hydrogen power'. They point out that the power for electric batteries has to come from somewhere, and completely gloss over that for hydrogen. Why they didn't go all the way and advocate fusion powered cars is beyond me.
        • dnautics 16y ago
          you can make hydrogen via other means, directly from sunlight, for example, although admittedly that technology is not here yet.
          • borism 16y ago
            you mean the technology where you connect electrodes to solar panel or wind turbine, put them into water and hydrogen and oxygen come out?
            • A1kmm 16y ago
              The energy has to come from somewhere, but it doesn't have to come from electricity (every conversion means energy is lost, and a light -> electricity -> water conversion is potentially less efficient than a more direct conversion). Hydrosol-2 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrosol-2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrosol-2) is an example of solar hydrogen production with no electric current intermediate - it involves high temperatures, so I'm not sure how much energy is lost maintaining that temperature compared to captured producing hydrogen, but it could theoretically be more efficient.
          • Retric 16y ago
            His point was Hydrogen was just another form of battery.
            • whatusername 16y ago
              Like Oil.
  • machrider 16y ago
    I don't know, I think if you're an enthusiast who cares about the environment, Clarkson isn't your favorite guy ever. I felt like the piece on the Tesla was pretty offensive in how biased it was, and I normally like the guys on Top Gear.
    • khafra 16y ago
      I do think Clarkson is a bit over the top anti-conservation; but suing him for that seems like the worst possible response. Something along the lines of a clever rebuttal in the form of a short video could've scored them some goodwill points.
      • Quarrelsome 16y ago
        He's over the top because he plays it up. Its not a documentary. Its a play and the actors play roles to a degree of excess (although tbf their roles are pretty close to their real life personas).
    • estel 16y ago
      I genuinely didn't feel as though the piece on Tesla was particularly biased though? Sure, they pointed out the flaws inherit to the car (recharge time) and filmed the car being pushed in for entertainment, but overall the piece still came across as pretty positive about the car: at times he was gushing about its performance and how enjoyable it could be to drive. I'm sure if I were invested in Tesla it's easy to feel that they're "biased" against me, but the review didn't come across as any more negative than 90% of car reviews on Top Gear.
      • olivercameron 16y ago
        Compared to a lot of car reviews on Top Gear, Tesla got off lightly.
        • nettdata 16y ago
          Just imagine if it were made in Mexico. EDIT: For those that don't get the reference, there is a running bit/theme on Top Gear about a so-called Mexican Supercar that was released a while ago. They've been thrashing it, and Mexico, ever since. So much so that the US version of Top Gear has been edited to remove the comments, and the Mexican Government has issued official communications about it. Just Google "top gear mexico supercar" and you'll see. It's not like I just randomly slammed Mexicans with this post. That's what the Dutch are for.
  • lyso 16y ago
    I suspect it is about headlines. They have even taken out a google ad on the search "tesla top gear" pointing to teslavstopgear.co.uk However, the review is clearly heavily scripted (do Teslas really just run out of power and then require pushing down the road?). In the UK, the powers-that-be at the BBC have recently taken a dim view of this sort of constructed TV posing as reality (after "Socksgate" and "Sachsgate", an explanation of which is probably beyond the scope of this discussion...).
  • c2 16y ago
    I think you are VASTLY overstating the importance of Top Gear, which is essentially an entertainment talk show which happens to talk about cars.
    • dman 16y ago
      Name another entertainment show which talks about cars and has Top Gears global reach.
      • nettdata 16y ago
        Sure, they're the global leaders when it comes to automotive ENTERTAINMENT, but that is precisely because they are entertaining, not journalistic. Just about EVERY "review" they do on cars is heavily biased, and in more than a few cases, outrageously so. Anyone who watches the show without understanding that it is entertainment, first and foremost, needs to lighten up, get a sense of humour, and not take themselves so seriously. Those are the types that TG go out of their way to ridicule on the show.
        • deleted 16y ago
          [deleted]
    • robryan 16y ago
      This is kind of like how we discuss things like privacy concerns on Facebook here where the vast majority don't care. Sure there are real motoring enthusiasts talking about stuff where TopGear is irrelevant, but for the rest of the world, the vast majority, I don't think this is the case.
  • flojo 16y ago
    I could not agree with your more. Even if there was nothing wrong with the car. What Tesla should have done is, take it on the chin, say something in the lines of 'we will correct and make it better', even though nothing is wrong, and then do a retest, and simply have that test on their terms. And then really, they could have gone from good to great.
• Cherad 16y ago
  While I'm sure Tesla wouldn't accept just an apology from Jeremy Clarkson, there'll be "lost sales" damages in the squillions, this is very true. Clarkson's offended entire countries without remorse and everyone involved moves on and gets on with their lives. Does anyone know the jurisdiction for this legal action? I suspect treatment of the case in the UK will differ to that in the US.
  • redthrowaway 16y ago
    Actually, the papers they've filed with the courts specify damages <100k GBP. Which further makes one wonder why they would bother. http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/tesla_-_claim_form_claimants_copy_29_03_11.pdf http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/tesla_-_claim...
    • Cherad 16y ago
      Oh, that's interesting. And yes, boggles the mind why they'd bother.
      • spullara 16y ago
        I think the intent of the lawsuit is to stop that episode from continuing to air rather than get damages.
• joeguilmette 16y ago
  I dont watch Top Gear and while I follow tech news and new technology, I'm not a car person. That said, this public débâcle has not played out in Tesla's favor to this consumer. It seems to me that they got an unfavorable review and aren't happy with it, and it seems that Top Gear is winning the war of public relations.
• eli 16y ago
  Are you familiar with British libel law? It's infamously plaintiff friendly. People have lost even though the statements in question were, in fact, truthful.
  • timthorn 16y ago
    I'd like to see references for that. Truth is an absolute defence against libel.
    • burgerbrain 16y ago
      http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/20/richard-dawkins-libel-laws http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/20/richard-dawkin... Simon Singh has since won that case last I heard, but it was by no means a given. That it took so long for him to get off for saying fucking chiropractors of all people "quacks" (if they aren't, who possibly could be?) should say a lot about the extent to which correctness or belief in correctness is a real defense. edit: spelling
      • xiaoma 16y ago
        fucking chiropractors of all people "quacks" (if they aren't, who possibly could be?) You're mis-informed. Chiropractic treatments are very useful for certain problems. Some quacks say it will treat any and all illness, but most licensed chiropractors I've dealt with have been highly professional. I have first-hand experience. After a knee injury playing on my high school basketball team, I suffered from mild swelling in my right knee. As a result it was difficult for me to fully bend it. This condition persisted for 4 months, despite icing, anti-inflammatories and several treatments by multiple physicians. Eventually, one referred me to a chiropractor. It took him about 10 minutes to find the problem, and he was able make the proper adjustment. Within two hours, the swelling was gone and the range of motion was back to normal. Many whiplash victims are also referred to chiropractors. (FYI, my mother is an MD. I'm hardly a healing crystal using homeopathy enthusiast.)
        • burgerbrain 16y ago