80 Tesla Owners Suing Company For False Advertising
Tesla vehicles are very popular in Norway and other Scandinavian countries. However, not everyone is happy with their purchase as the electric automaker is once again embroiled in a lawsuit regarding false advertising after the company allegedly overstated power numbers in the car's marketing.
Nearly 80 customers are suing the company over misleading advertising, saying that their electric car did not deliver the promised performance. The plaintiffs complained that the real power of their Tesla S P85D – touted as a sedan with one of the fastest acceleration in the world – was 350kW and not 522kW as promised by the manufacturer.
They are seeking same compensation as another group of over 100 Norwegian Tesla owners who previously settled with the company back in 2016. The electric automaker reportedly compensated the plaintiffs by either paying 65 000 kroner ($8600) or by providing them with new equipment.
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"It's the same kind of case that ended up in a compromise the last time," the plaintiffs' lawyer Christoffer Falkeid told the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv. "It's about the power of the car and the mistakes in marketing and in the sales process but I do not want to go into amounts."
Norway is one of the biggest markets for Tesla vehicles being a world leader in electric cars in terms of market share. There are a total of 1201 Tesla S P85Ds in Norway with vehicle sales for all Tesla models in the Nordic country reaching 8,465 in 2017.
The popularity of the company's cars in the country even led to a short, albeit interesting exchange between US President Trump and the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Wednesday.
In a recent statement, Tesla's spokesperson did not address the horsepower claims specifically but denied any inaccuracy in the power numbers. The numbers, which the company claims are even understated, were required by European regulatory authorities.
