Elon Musk’s Tesla A No-Show At The 2017 Detroit Auto Show [Video]
For the second consecutive year, Tesla is nowhere to be found during this year's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). While there was no official word about the electric car company's absence, the Elon Musk-owned group has said prior to the event that it will not be attending.
An on-going legal tussle in Michigan has been cited as the detrimental factor that discouraged Tesla from joining the two-week vehicle presentation. The tech manufacturer has been earlier banned from marketing its automobile units in the said US state.
It should be noted that the problem has started with the initiative of the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association to implement franchise auto dealer fees. The passing of House Bill 5606 has officially prohibited Elon Musk's organization to sell vehicles in the area.
The situation has been further aggravated by Republican Senator Joe Hune's anti-Tesla legislation that surfaced days after the legal process was signed by Governor Rick Snyder. The action has called for restricting direct sales approaches which Tesla practiced.
It must be known that Tesla operates through its own line of dealerships. Through this, potential buyers can purchase products online. With bill 5606 in effect, acquiring cars can only be done through franchised dealers.
The troubling predicament is not only limited in Michigan. Tesla is also facing the same problem in Maryland, Ohio, Indiana and Connecticut.
Even though the electric car group failed to attend the Detroit Auto Show, Tesla remains undeterred about its launching plans. On Twitter, no less than Elon Musk has announced the unmasking of the most updated version of the organization's Autopilot software.
Around a thousand testing vehicles will be participating in the shadow mode of the system. If the program will be free of any hitch, Autopilot hardware 1 and 2 will go active within a week's time.
The new software will enhance sensors that detect items at almost twice the distance of where the car is actually located. In addition, the Autopilot will make it possible for automobiles to manage its speed based on traffic situations.
Tesla newer brands will now institute eight cameras in the car to assist the Autopilot software. Meanwhile, interested owners of older vehicles can also integrate the system into their units by purchasing the sophisticated item for$5,000.
