Top Gear’s executive producer, Andy Wilman, is the first member of the BBC and the popular TV show to comment the lawsuit filed by Tesla Motors last week, officially opening hostilities even before the judge’s ruling.
As could be expected, Wilman rejected the arguments presented by the Californian automaker and directed a few shots at its executives for not heeding the legal process, generating a flurry of media commentary.
Wilman says Top Gear never mentioned that the Roadster’s true operating range is only 88 km (55 miles), and that these were their actual words: “We calculated that on our track it would run out after 55 miles”. He adds that the calculations weren’t made by his team but by Tesla itself.
He also admitted that Top Gear condemned the car in advance, but wished to put things into perspective. The conclusion that Tesla’s model doesn’t seem to work in the real world is “based mainly on the fact that it costs three times more than the petrol sports car upon which it’s based” as well as the lengthy charge time.
According to Wilman, the latter point prevents drivers from using it as easily for long-distance trips, which are “a prerequisite of sports car driving”.
He also explained that the eight-minute film review is the result of a day’s worth of hard work on a shoot. Thus, the preliminary information about a car, its style and stats and so on, need to be gathered in advance.
However, as the crew uncovers “fresh information about a car whilst filming it, it is entirely normal for the treatment to be modified as the day unfolds”.
Source : Transmission via USA Today
As could be expected, Wilman rejected the arguments presented by the Californian automaker and directed a few shots at its executives for not heeding the legal process, generating a flurry of media commentary.
Wilman says Top Gear never mentioned that the Roadster’s true operating range is only 88 km (55 miles), and that these were their actual words: “We calculated that on our track it would run out after 55 miles”. He adds that the calculations weren’t made by his team but by Tesla itself.
He also admitted that Top Gear condemned the car in advance, but wished to put things into perspective. The conclusion that Tesla’s model doesn’t seem to work in the real world is “based mainly on the fact that it costs three times more than the petrol sports car upon which it’s based” as well as the lengthy charge time.
According to Wilman, the latter point prevents drivers from using it as easily for long-distance trips, which are “a prerequisite of sports car driving”.
He also explained that the eight-minute film review is the result of a day’s worth of hard work on a shoot. Thus, the preliminary information about a car, its style and stats and so on, need to be gathered in advance.
However, as the crew uncovers “fresh information about a car whilst filming it, it is entirely normal for the treatment to be modified as the day unfolds”.
Source : Transmission via USA Today