Tesla Sues ‘Top Gear’ Over Show About the Roadster

Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle manufacturer based in Silicon Valley, filed a lawsuit this week in Britain against the BBC’s popular “Top Gear” television program.
Suing for libel and malicious falsehood, Tesla took issue with a December 2008 episode that depicted problems with the brakes, cooling system and limited range of its Roadster sports car. The company is seeking up to £100,000, or about $160,000, in damages and a ruling to stop the BBC from rebroadcasting or packaging the episode for sale.
“Tesla simply wants ‘Top Gear’ to stop rebroadcasting this malicious episode and to correct the record, but they’ve repeatedly ignored Tesla’s requests,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Yet some experts say they believe the company has much to lose and little to gain by bringing the suit.
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WorldofLuxury - 4/1/2011 12:50:39 AM

-5 Boost

I understand why Tesla is pissed, but I just love Top Gear too much, so I understand, and I'll stand by their side! (=

Lexus - 4/1/2011 1:58:08 AM

-5 Boost

I saw a red one at where I work, I can tell you this, it is a very small car (almost the size of the Miata) and it is ugly. In the pictures it look good but in person it does NOT give you that wow impression.

t_bone - 4/1/2011 2:05:30 AM

+6 Boost

Love the show but that segment was crap. There's nothing funny about feeding misconceptions.

Larrybel2000 - 4/1/2011 7:40:37 AM

-4 Boost

It's a wonder in itself that Tesla still exists.

tundrahq - 4/1/2011 12:26:44 PM

-3 Boost

Great comment. Tesla has no profits, no owner base, no market share, and as of today no product. How, exactly, are they still in business?

vdiv - 4/3/2011 2:11:26 AM

+2 Boost

They do have a couple of products, the Roadster with the associated service, and the battery technology, which they have licensed to a few companies. They still live off of venture capital though.

If the British libel law applies in Britain only does that mean that even if found guilty the BBC can continue to broadcast the episode elsewhere in the world?

I think Tesla can improve their image by improving their car, and not by publicity stunts like this one. The truth hurts.

I also think the Top Gear trio has just found another car to replace the Morris Marina ;)

veyron1001 - 4/1/2011 9:31:06 AM

-4 Boost

Build a great car and Top Gear wont criticize it. They even find bad points in Lamborghini and Ferrari's. Grow a pair Tesla and stop sucking the governments teet.

Joe_Limon - 4/1/2011 10:14:30 AM

+4 Boost

In the top gear comparison they didn't top up the battery before racing it. That's like racing a Porsche on empty and then claiming it has poor mileage.

veyron1001 - 4/1/2011 2:53:24 PM

+2 Boost

http://blog.caranddriver.com/tesla%E2%80%99s-244-mile-range-what-up-with-dat/

So many tree humpers in here. O look at this. A review of a guy not making it home on a full charge when the car indicated that it had the distance. 24 hours for 181miles. Drive it hard around a track and it will run out of energy faster rigged or not. Well if it was so rigged why hasnt a tesla rep drive the car flatout on the TG track yet?

Designer1 - 4/1/2011 11:40:07 AM

-6 Boost

This is so stupid by Tesla!!! It's NOT Top Gear's problem that your cars failed, malfunctioned, and they showed their REAL range.

pedromarquinez - 4/1/2011 12:35:53 PM

+2 Boost

First, I love Top Gear and specially Jeremy Clarkson. I was not surprised about the segment because if you know Jeremy you can't be. However I recognize that he was too radical in his review...and that is what people love! So for Telsa all of this will work out because they will obtain tons of publicity.I can not wait for next season to hear the comments...

Brembo - 4/1/2011 1:58:10 PM

+1 Boost

Question. Did Tesla lend the cars to Top Gear to review or Top Gears asked for the car?

BTW... reviews are often made based on personal opinions and experiences. If it's about just the facts then all reviews would just copy and paste the specs.

Statements like "fun to drive" and "has soul" are emotional opinion which can not be measured.

LJ745 - 4/1/2011 4:31:06 PM

+1 Boost

What, exactly, is Tesla upset about? He gave the car as fair a review as he does any other. It didn't measure up. He said it was fast as hell and fun to drive and the one EV that he really liked. However, it has some issues that need to be worked out, chief among them are range (always poor on EVs) and reliability. Tesla made a >$100,000 POS that won't meet the needs of anyone except auto enthusiasts who have tons of cash and lots of time. The car is beyond impractical and what, really, is the point of an impractical EV. Just the like the Chevy Volt, the Tesla falls way short of what it claims.

LJ745 - 4/1/2011 4:40:08 PM

+1 Boost

Why is every anti-Tesla comment getting voted down? The car is crap, plain and simple. They made a claim and they can't live up to it. In fact, no one has reached the claimed 200 mile mark. The highest I have seen is 187 miles. That is in a brand new car too. Just like your laptop, the charge in these batteries will degrade over time, so that you will go from getting 187 to getting 150 to getting 100, to needing a 300 mile long extension cord. The tech, in terms of batteries, just isn't there to make cars like this work.