In a letter to investors accompanying their first quarter earnings release, Tesla said it still plans on opening company-owned body shops. Last year, responding to online criticism about the backlog of body repairs for its vehicles, Tesla announced it would open collision repair centers during 2017. The company has been unable to meet its ambitious […]
Consumers Union Calls on Tesla to Improve Safety of “Autopilot” Driver-Assist System
Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports (CR), called on Tesla to move quickly to improve the safety of its “Autopilot” driver-assist system and to publicly release the detailed data behind the company’s safety claims. The company recently acknowledged that this technology was engaged at the time of a recent fatal crash in California, […]
Spanesi Collision Repair Equipment Approved by Tesla
On January 16, Tesla, Inc. announced they have added three new Spanesi structural repair benches and the Touch Measuring System to their OEM approved equipment list, for Tesla Approved Body Shop program. “Spanesi is excited to be a part of approved list of collision repair equipment recognized in the Tesla Approved Body Shop program,” states […]
Tesla to Open Company-Owned Body Shops
Move to “significantly improve” the customer experience for body repair. Will also expand certified network. In a letter to investors accompanying the release of its first quarter earnings yesterday, Tesla Motors announced it would open its own body shops later this year. Tesla currently sells and services its vehicles itself and the company has a […]
NHTSA Closes Investigation into Tesla AutoPilot Crash
Office of Defect investigation finds no safety-related defect trends. Data shows 40 percent reduction in crash rates for Tesla vehicles after introduction of autosteer. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) yesterday released a report and closed its investigation into 2014-2016 Tesla Model S and X […]
Pro Spot Receives Tesla Approval for Aluminum Welding
Pro Spot International announced the recent Tesla approval of the SP Series MIG Welders including the SP-5 Smart MIG and the new SP-5.3 Double Pulse 3-Phase Smart MIG. These welders are approved for aluminum welding during structural repairs on Model S and Model X. “Congratulations to the entire Pro Spot team,” says Ron Olsson, President […]
Tesla Upgrading AutoPilot to Rely More on Radar
In a blog post yesterday, Tesla Motors announced it will be releasing an upgrade to its Autopilot software. According to Tesla, version 8 of its software will use more advanced signal processing of its onboard radar. According to the post, “The radar was added to all Tesla vehicles in October 2014 as part of the […]
Consumer Reports Calls for Tesla to Disable AutoPilot
“Consumers should never be guinea pig for vehicle safety ‘beta’ programs” In one of the most critical comments issued in the wake of Tesla’s announcement that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was launching an investigation into the vehicle manufacturer’s Autopilot semi-autonomous driving feature following a fatal crash in May, Consumer Reports has called […]
Tesla on Autopilot Involved in Fatal Crash
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opens investigation into fatal crash involving Tesla in Autopilot mode. Tesla Motors announced in a blog post last week that on of its Model S vehicles operating in Autopilot mode was involved in a fatal crash in Florida during May. According to the June 30 blog post, “We learned yesterday […]
Federal Trade Commission Plans Workshop on Auto Distribution Regulation
Workshop Will Explore Competition, State Regulations, and Emerging Trends in the Industry The Federal Trade Commission will host a one-day workshop on January 19 to explore competition and related issues in the U.S. auto distribution system, including how consumers and businesses may be affected by state regulations and emerging trends in the industry. The event […]