‘Grand Tour’ Comes Up With New Way To Avoid Legal Problems
The Grand Tour is one of the most popular car shows on the planet. Hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, it has a fan base that spans over 195 countries. The chemistry between the former Top Gear presenters is believed to have contributed greatly to its success, although they have also had some immensely controversial moments in the past.
Speaking of controversies, The Grand Tour has apparently taken extra measures to avoid a legal situation with Tesla. The fears stem from a 2008 writ it sent to Top Gear following a negative review by Jeremy Clarkson. According to the lawsuit, the company suffered a loss of revenue as a result. The case was dismissed by British courts due to lack of sufficient evidence, per The Drive.
Speaking to the Daily Beast after the ruling, Clarkson stated that although there were differences with Tesla’s co-founder Elon Musk, he personally had no problems with the billionaire, and in fact had great things to talk about regarding the company’s latest cars.
Fast forward to the present and The Grand Tour executive producer Andy Wilman has insisted that Jeremy Clarkson review Tesla’s Model X with a group of lawyers to make sure he doesn’t get carried away. In the teaser clip, Jeremy drives around with the team, while trying to justify his view that electric cars have major drawbacks.
He starts by attacking Tesla’s claim that the Model X can travel for 351 miles between charges. According to the TV host, electric cars never reach the advertised range. He is interjected by counsel who indicates that legally, the range highlighted depends on prevailing driving conditions.
#TheGrandTour Mozambique special is now on https://t.co/dRMlixT2wB pic.twitter.com/lgrtObComl
— The Grand Tour (@thegrandtour) February 16, 2018
To make the conclusion apparent, her partner adds, “We completely accept that this car can do 351 miles between charges, don’t we?” To which Jeremy answers that he doesn’t know, as he hasn’t tested it yet. This leads to a back-and-forth about accepting what car manufacturers state on one hand while risking legal action on the other by suggesting something to the contrary, especially on television.
Jeremy then talks about ion-lithium batteries such as those on the car, saying they can catch fire in an accident. He cites Hammond’s crash while driving the Rimac Concept One as proof of this. However, the lawyers steer him away from the suggestion that the car has any inherent defect as a result of its batteries. Jeremy ends the conversation by writing the words “Shut Up” on the center infotainment console of the car. You can check out the clip at Express.
