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Tesla wants court to dismiss Georgia dealer lawsuit

Like the fire that forced Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara to flee Atlanta in Gone With the Wind, the battle between Tesla Motors and Georgia's auto dealers is heating up. In late August, the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA), which represents about 500 dealerships, filed a petition to prevent Tesla from selling its electric vehicles in the state. Tesla is now requesting a Georgia judge to throw out the petition, the Atlanta Business Chronicle says. The issue, as with states such as Texas, New Jersey, Virginia and Arizona, is that dealers say Tesla violates state law by selling vehicles directly to consumers instead of through third-party dealerships not owned by the company. Tesla insists that the company is best suited to oversee all distribution channels because of the uniqueness of the product and plans to open stores in Atlanta's Buckhead area and Decatur next week. The judge won't hear the case until next month. For now, Tesla is allowed to sell as many as 150 vehicles a year in Georgia under a zero-emissions vehicles provision. There's precedent elsewhere for things to improve in states where Tesla and dealers clashed. In August, the company reached a compromise with the state of Pennsylvania that will allow Tesla to open five stores in that state. Of course, there is a precedent for things to go the other way, too.

Someone in SF is exposing the wild 'Truth' about Tesla, and it includes 'anal itching' [w/video]

We'd like to give our heartfelt thanks to Ryan Block, former editor of Autoblog sister site Engadget, for sharing on Twitter one of the wackiest bits of anti-Tesla writings we've every come across. This is well beyond the anti-Tesla rage that once dominated conservative media coverage – it steps fully into tinfoil hat territory. We're not doctors, but perhaps someone needs lithium in its pharmaceutical form. Did you know, for example, that, "By driving a Tesla, you are involved in organized crime"? Or that, "By driving a Tesla, you are saying you have no morals"? Or even that, "By driving a Tesla, you are supporting spying?" Yes, friends, all this and more is explained (somewhat) in a small-font pamphlet that Block found, photographed and put up on Twitter yesterday. According to Block, the flyers have been distributed around San Francisco, being left anonymously on the windshields of parked Teslas. We can't quite follow all of the logic thrown together here, but it appears that someone is mad at the electric vehicle manufacturer for its ties to the government, Google and the media. Then there's this: "Psychographic, demographic and marketing studies have been published showing that Tesla drivers have a higher-than-average inclination towards drugs, strange sexual behavior and risk." We don't know if Tesla drivers are as extreme as all that, but there was at least one Model S driver who was recently spotted doing some odd moves in and out of his sunroof (see video below). Did we mention that Model S seats are known to cause "anal itching"? Maybe it's all part of the conspiracy. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mary Barra thinks GM is a leader in autonomous tech

Saying General Motors is "among the leaders" in autonomous vehicle technology, CEO Mary Barra rapped about her company's driverless work in an interview with USA Today. Barra covered a number of topics, including well-known efforts, like Cadillac's upcoming Super Cruise technology, as well as hinting at "a lot of efforts that are confidential." "Things are moving quickly in autonomous [cars] because there's so many different pathways and the standards aren't even set. A lot of people can claim leads because people are making advancements in different areas," Barra said. "Next year we're going to have Super Cruise on one of our Cadillacs. On highways you'll be able to take your hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals – with a very creative way to make sure the driver is alert and involved in the driving process." As for those "confidential" efforts, feel free to speculate. GM has recently confirmed that it'd be running autonomous Volts at its Warren, MI tech center, which certainly indicates that the company is playing with much more than Super Cruise. GM will need to continue to embrace autonomous driving, owing to both traditional competitors like Toyota, as well as non-traditional opposition, like Google and Apple. Speaking of its competition from Silicon Valley, Barra was asked about two of the region's biggest names – Apple's Tim Cook and Tesla boss Elon Musk. "I have tremendous respect for Tim Cook, and I don't really think he needs advice from me," Barra told USA Today with a laugh. And when asked about Apple's future as a "viable competitor," she said, "I have no insights other than what I read in the papers. But it would be foolish for me not to assume that they're going to." As for Mr. Musk's openness about future products and how it contrasts with GM's relatively closed attitude, Barra also gave a chuckle. "I'm sure you would like me to say yes. I think we're fundamentally different. Look at our volume and look at the segments where we compete. His product line – his two products – his scale, it's completely different." The rest of Barra's interview is certainly worth a read, and includes talk about the Volkswagen diesel scandal, GM's changed relationship with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Uber. Head over to The Detroit Free Press website for the full story from USA Today.