I've subscribed to Autoweek for most of the last 40 years. Particularly enjoyed the era of Satch Carlson, used to look forward eagerly to the weekly mail to read his column, though I understand he was let go for some grim personal lapses...
Now, after current tranche runs out in a few months, I'm letting Autoweek lapse forever. Why? They seem to take every editorial opportunity to bash Tesla Motors. Even when they post "factual" news, they find some way to coat it with snide and negative comments. As I said in a running correspondence I've had with editor Dutch Mandel, "Your magazine gushes over the great technology leaps in the new Mercedes S, every single Porsche, Corvette… but - for the first time in your lifetime or mine - there's a true technology step change out there (built in America, too) and you don't seem to be into it." You don't have to love it, but for goodness sake, if you are truly a car aficionado and an American, you HAVE TO at least ADMIRE it and root for it!!!!!
I do not expect any good journalist to sugar-coat their Tesla coverage. But the eternal snide comments such as the following just don't stop.
2013 - Dutch Mandel
"It could not be less practical for day-to-day use" - Hmm? Typical driver who drives under 200 miles per day, it could not be better!
"would sell in great volumes if it had an internal combustion engine" - Oh yeah? Why is it outselling every other competitive model?
"You get in and play with the oversized touchscreen, and when its batteries are drained, you find one of it's so-called superchargers" - Let's get real…
"If you want to go from CA to Washington DC, you might be better taking a Conestoga wagon" - lemme see, in the words of Louis CK, conestoga wagon took decades and the people who arrived were a different group than those who started. That's the PG-13 version of that comedy bit, anyway.
"Very soon our government money propping up this great electric experiment will run out" - this said AFTER Tesla paid back loan, and don't start about tax credits unless you analyze the tax breaks supporting the petroleum industry.
2014 - Mark Vaughn
"Why (would anyone) buy an untried Gen III when you can just as easily buy a fully warrantied BMW i3, Toyota RAV4 EV…" - Well, you could have said the same thing about the Model S and it's competition, couldn't you? I could turn that around and say "if you're buying an electric car, why would you buy it from anyone BUT Tesla?"
"Will (Tesla) continue to offer free electricity for life to all Tesla owners? At 10 cents a kWh time 12,000 miles a year times 500,000 cars…" - This is just foolishness, 90% of Tesla charging is in garage.
"Success as a boutique carmaker catering solely to early adopter Silicon Valley zillionares who buy cars in relatively small numbers is one thing. Success selling in the vast, soft-white, affordable sedan segment's underbelly is quite another" - Only one question, now that I have had a model S for 15 months, when do I get to move to Silicon Valley, and where are my zillion dollars?
And that's skipping another 10 or more articles with exaggerations and nasty remarks about Tesla. I didn't include Denise McCluggage's editorial column hating Tesla because, well, I guess she's some kind of motoring icon.
Meanwhile, the next super-limited numbers and, in the whole scheme of things, incremental and forgettable MB AMG is gonna get a ton of love from Autoweek. I probably will not miss them.
Now, after current tranche runs out in a few months, I'm letting Autoweek lapse forever. Why? They seem to take every editorial opportunity to bash Tesla Motors. Even when they post "factual" news, they find some way to coat it with snide and negative comments. As I said in a running correspondence I've had with editor Dutch Mandel, "Your magazine gushes over the great technology leaps in the new Mercedes S, every single Porsche, Corvette… but - for the first time in your lifetime or mine - there's a true technology step change out there (built in America, too) and you don't seem to be into it." You don't have to love it, but for goodness sake, if you are truly a car aficionado and an American, you HAVE TO at least ADMIRE it and root for it!!!!!
I do not expect any good journalist to sugar-coat their Tesla coverage. But the eternal snide comments such as the following just don't stop.
2013 - Dutch Mandel
"It could not be less practical for day-to-day use" - Hmm? Typical driver who drives under 200 miles per day, it could not be better!
"would sell in great volumes if it had an internal combustion engine" - Oh yeah? Why is it outselling every other competitive model?
"You get in and play with the oversized touchscreen, and when its batteries are drained, you find one of it's so-called superchargers" - Let's get real…
"If you want to go from CA to Washington DC, you might be better taking a Conestoga wagon" - lemme see, in the words of Louis CK, conestoga wagon took decades and the people who arrived were a different group than those who started. That's the PG-13 version of that comedy bit, anyway.
"Very soon our government money propping up this great electric experiment will run out" - this said AFTER Tesla paid back loan, and don't start about tax credits unless you analyze the tax breaks supporting the petroleum industry.
2014 - Mark Vaughn
"Why (would anyone) buy an untried Gen III when you can just as easily buy a fully warrantied BMW i3, Toyota RAV4 EV…" - Well, you could have said the same thing about the Model S and it's competition, couldn't you? I could turn that around and say "if you're buying an electric car, why would you buy it from anyone BUT Tesla?"
"Will (Tesla) continue to offer free electricity for life to all Tesla owners? At 10 cents a kWh time 12,000 miles a year times 500,000 cars…" - This is just foolishness, 90% of Tesla charging is in garage.
"Success as a boutique carmaker catering solely to early adopter Silicon Valley zillionares who buy cars in relatively small numbers is one thing. Success selling in the vast, soft-white, affordable sedan segment's underbelly is quite another" - Only one question, now that I have had a model S for 15 months, when do I get to move to Silicon Valley, and where are my zillion dollars?
And that's skipping another 10 or more articles with exaggerations and nasty remarks about Tesla. I didn't include Denise McCluggage's editorial column hating Tesla because, well, I guess she's some kind of motoring icon.
Meanwhile, the next super-limited numbers and, in the whole scheme of things, incremental and forgettable MB AMG is gonna get a ton of love from Autoweek. I probably will not miss them.