Negative press coverage can send communicators and executives alike scrambling to repair their brands’ images.
Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, decided to handle it head on—by tweeting his response.
Musk’s tweets came after Consumer Reports published a review of Tesla’s Model 3, refusing to give the vehicle a recommendation.
Consumer Reports’ autos team lead, Patrick Olsen, wrote:
… In Consumer Reports’ tests, we found plenty to like about the luxury compact sedan... Our testers also found flaws—big flaws—such as long stopping distances in our emergency braking test and difficult-to-use controls.…The Tesla’s stopping distance of 152 feet from 60 mph was far worse than any contemporary car we’ve tested and about 7 feet longer than the stopping distance of a Ford F-150 full-sized pickup.
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Tesla immediately offered up data of its own, which contradicted Consumer Reports’ tests.
Olsen wrote:
A Tesla spokesperson told CR that the company’s own testing found stopping distances from 60 to 0 mph were an average of 133 feet, with the same tires as our Model 3. The automaker noted that stopping-distance results are affected by variables such as road surface, weather conditions, tire temperature, brake conditioning, outside temperature, and past driving behavior that may have affected the brake system.
Not surprisingly, Tesla took issue with the claim. In a statement, a spokesperson maintained that its testing showed a 133-foot braking distance using the 18-inch Michelin all-season tires. The company also claimed that CR's test units may have been affected by a number of factors, including temperatures (both for the tires and the environment), the road surface and even "past driving behavior." And if there were issues, the spokesperson said, Tesla was in a better place to "address more corner cases" through software updates that could improve the stopping distance.
Though Tesla’s information was included in Consumer Reports’ article, the review was ultimately a ding for a company that must persuade consumers to shell out big bucks for the more expensive versions of the vehicle.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the final details of the dual-motor, all-wheel drive version of the Model 3 over the weekend, including a top-of-the-line variant that is more expensive than a base-level Model S or X. While we’ve known for a long time that these were coming, this is the most clarity Tesla’s offered yet about specs, pricing, and options.Taken one way, it’s a sign Tesla is working through the early production struggles of the Model 3 and is ready to start offering more diverse options, much like it does with the Model S or X. But Tesla also needs to sell these more expensive Model 3s to grow its revenue at a time when the company is spending more money than ever. In the meantime, Tesla is holding back on making the cheapest version of what is supposed to be the company’s “mass-market” electric car — a decision that Musk says is a matter of life and death for the company.
So, Musk decided to address the article—as well as the Model 3’s shortcomings—in a series of tweets:
Very strange. Model 3 is designed to have super good stopping distance & others reviewers have confirmed this. If there is vehicle variability, we will figure it out & address. May just be a question of firmware tuning, in which case can be solved by an OTA software update.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2018
Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update. Will be rolling that out in a few days. With further refinement, we can improve braking distance beyond initial specs. Tesla won’t stop until Model 3 has better braking than any remotely comparable car.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2018
Also, Consumer Reports has an early production car. Model 3 now has improved ride comfort, lower wind noise & many other small improvements. Will request that they test current production.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2018
To be clear, all Model 3 cars, incl early production will have same great braking ability. Nature of any product, however, is that if you care about perfection, you make constant small refinements. Today’s Model S is far more refined than initial production.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2018
Consumer Reports isn’t the only publication Musk has responded to after negative coverage, either. The executive also tersely refuted a report by Reveal that alleged the company wasn’t prioritizing employees’ safety and fired workers who wanted to form a union.
Tesla factory literally has miles of painted yellow lines & tape. Report about forklifts not beeping is also bs. These are both demonstrably false, but were reported as “facts” by Reveal.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2018
Cool, we can do the interview at Tesla in front of the yellow barriers & beeping forklifts you said didn’t exist. Please send your meeting request to wakassliar@tesla.com.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2018
About 2% of Tesla, incl salaried & hourly, union & non-union were let go in annual review. Only known union person fired was a guy who repeatedly threatened non-union supporters verbally & on social media & lied about it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2018
Musk has a history of responding to both praise and criticism through his Twitter account. The approach seems to be working, as well—and not just with his fans.
On Tuesday, Consumer Reports published Musk’s response—though Olsen reiterated the publication’s report of the Model 3’s subpar brake performance.
What do you think of Musk’s strategy to counter negative press?
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