A group of 79 Norwegian owners filed a civil complaint in Norway over Tesla’s horsepower claim for the Model SP85D. Tesla marketing materials claim the dual-motor Model S has 691 horsepower, that number the result of adding the outputs from the 221-hp motor in front, and the 469-hp motor in back. That isn’t how practical, at-the-wheel power figures work, so when some owners put their cars on the dyno, the sedans only clocked 469 hp. The 79 owners want compensation for false advertising.
If you’re asking yourself, “Where have I heard this before?”, the answer is here on Autoblog two years ago. In September of 2016, 133 Norwegian Model S P85D owners were the first to file a lawsuit demanding restitution over the discrepancy between Tesla’s claimed horsepower number and the actual figure. Tesla settled with the group in December of that year, giving each owner the option of 65,000 Norwegian crowns (about $10,000 at today’s rates), or a mix of cash and Model S upgrades.
A Tesla statement at the time said in part, “Testing done by Tesla and independent third parties has demonstrated that the Model S P85D’s acceleration and motor power numbers have always been accurate, even understated.” And actual performance held up to scrutiny; the Ludicrous Mode sedan still got from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds. Tesla no longer sells the Model S P85D in Norway.
The attorney representing this second set of plaintiffs said the group of 79 wants the same settlement the previous 133 claimaints got. If Tesla doesn’t settle the case before April, an Oslo court will step in to examine the complaint. And supposedly, elsewhere in the Norwegian justice system, 38 different owners filed a case over the same issue late last year.
(autoblog)