Tesla Model 3 Makes Consumer Reports ‘Top Picks’ List For 2020

In Consumer Reports’ “Top Picks” of the year list, Tesla’s Model 3 ranks among the top 10 choices for car buyers in 2020. TechCrunch reports: The Model 3 was chosen as one of three vehicles in the $45K-$55K category, alongside the Lexus RX and the Toyota Supra. CR lauded its “thrilling driving experience,” including “impressive handling and quick precise steering [that]…

New Questions Raised about Tesla’s ‘Autopilot’ Safety After Three Fatalities This Week

The Associated Press looks at three new fatalities involving Teslas this week, saying the crashes have “increased scrutiny of the company’s Autopilot driving system just months before CEO Elon Musk has planned to put fully self-driving cars on the streets.” Last Sunday, a Tesla Model S sedan left a freeway in Gardena, California, at a high speed, ran a red light…

How Much Are Cars Spying On Their Owners?

“We’re at a turning point for driving surveillance,” reports the Washington Post (in an article shared by long-time Slashdot reader davidwr ). “In the 2020 model year, most new cars sold in the United States will come with built-in Internet connections, including 100 percent of Fords, GMs and BMWs and all but one model Toyota and Volkswagen.” Often included for free…

Consumer Reports Restores ‘Recommended’ Ratings to Both Tesla’s Model 3 and Model S

“Consumer Reports has restored its coveted ‘recommended’ rating to the Tesla Model S and Model 3, because Tesla has made its cars more reliable,” reports CNN: “The Tesla Model 3 struggled last year as the company made frequent design changes and ramped up production to meet demand,” said Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at CR. “But as the production…

Tesla Owners Say Autopilot Makes Them Feel Safer

“Bloomberg has conducted a survey of Tesla Model 3 owners,” writes Slashdot reader Thelasko. “Some of the most interesting data are responses to questions about Autopilot.” Here’s an excerpt from the report: We asked 5,000 Model 3 owners about their experience with the electric sedan that Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk says will lead the world into a new era…

Vandal Who Keyed A Tesla Discovers That It Filmed Him

For the third time, someone who vandalized a Tesla discovered that the car’s “Sentry Mode” had filmed them — and after the video went viral online, decided to turn themselves in. An anonymous reader quotes Electrek:
The 20-year-old said that he was frustrated after a car cut him off and he thought the Model 3 might have been the same car. The…