A designated driver has been ordered to pay Tesla 20,000 yuan ($3,155) in damages and to apologize for at least 30 days.
Allegations of "brake failure" in China have plagued Tesla for a long time last year, and despite the lack of evidence to support it, the topic was a hot one for many. The latest information showed that a designated driver was sued by Tesla for his actions in this regard and lost.
A designated driver in Changsha, Hunan province, central China, was ordered by a local court to pay Tesla 20,000 yuan ($3,155) in damages and to apologize for at least 30 days in his Douyin as well as WeChat updates, according to the verdict shared by the Shanghai Consumer Protection Commission on Thursday.
This is because on April 20, 2021, the driver put up a poster in a commercial center in Changsha claiming that Tesla's brakes had quality problems.
"In order to preserve the lives of designated drivers, designated driving services should be denied for Tesla-branded vehicles," the poster reads.
The move comes a day after a female owner who said Tesla's brakes were not working stood on top of a car at the Tesla booth in protest on the first day of the Shanghai Auto Show on April 19, 2021. The poster shows an image of the lady's protest in the upper right corner.
Tesla argued that the designated driver had presented the "brake failure" as a fact without any official confirmation or testing by an authority, and displayed the platforms he serves on a billboard, which created the impression to online users that these platforms had determined that Tesla had faulty brakes.
The move had a serious adverse impact on Tesla's brand reputation, so a lawsuit was filed against the driver, according to the company.
On April 19 last year, at the Tesla booth at the Shanghai Auto Show, the female owner stood on top of a car wearing a T-shirt that could be translated as the words "brake failure" in protest, causing widespread concern.
To date, her dispute with Tesla remains unresolved.
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