(Business Insider) The German Federal Motor Transport Authority, Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) has concluded an investigation into three recent Tesla Model S fires and found “no manufacturer-related defects,” Tesla said today.
In a press release, Tesla said it provided the KBA with relevant data on the accidents, and received a letter saying “no further measures under the German Product Safety Act [Produktsicherheitsgesetz (ProdSG)] are deemed necessary.”
In November, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the three fires. Tesla said it has “requested” the process, but NHTSA Administrator told a House panel that was untrue, according to The Detroit News.
That investigation is ongoing, but at least the Germans have been placated.
If you woke up this morning and read this, as I did, upon seeing TSLA up 6% before the open and my puts reversing lower on this “news”, you could be forgiven if your first impression was, “when the hell did Germany open an investigation?”
You see, I remember being told about the investigation being conducted by the NHTSA, the US based auto safety agency. I remember they opened an investigation following three fires, two of which occurred in the US, and the remaining one in Mexico. Barely a few weeks ago…
But it’s funny, as I don’t recall there ever being an announcement of a German investigation. It must have got lost under the Blankenship resignation announcement.
In fact, swinging over to Tesla’s Investor Press Releases – it’s astounding – but it seems completely devoid of any bad news at all. Not even a mention of the US based investigation, much less a German one, or a peep about the VP of sales leaving the company.
Meanwhile, in the real world, real men and women are throwing their money into this company, shaking off oversold conditions on a hard bounce. And class action lawsuits are raining from the sky. I’ve mostly been thinking those lawsuits were warrantless before now, but if this is how Tesla handles communications, I’m not so sure.
This isn’t a game, people.
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