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Tesla loses fight to set up its own dealers in Texas

For a while there, it seemed like Tesla could do no wrong. But despite repaying its Department of Energy loans early, surging stock prices and even announcing a vast network of proposed Superchargers, Tesla is still in the fight of its life for how to get its cars sold.
According to Automotive News, the startup EV-maker lost its second straight battle to sell cars in dealerships that don't conform to state franchise laws restricting factory-owned dealerships. Earlier in the year, Tesla failed to get a dealer license in Virginia, and this time around, it will have to wait until at least 2015 to fight for an exemption in Texas. This means that Tesla's Houston and Austin showrooms are not actually allowed to sell vehicles. The report also adds that Tesla CEO Elon Musk could end up taking his case to the federal courts.

Tesla hires ex-Apple VP for new vehicle development

Tesla announced Thursday that it has filled the position of vice president of vehicle programs, hiring former vice president of Mac hardware engineering at Apple, Doug Field, who started his career at Ford.
"Doug has demonstrated the leadership and technical talent to develop and deliver outstanding products, including what are widely considered the best computers in the world," says Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla. "Doug's experience in both consumer electronics and traditional automotive makes him an important addition to our team," he relates. Field most recently was responsible for the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac.
Field says that he had no intention of leaving Apple until Tesla came along. "Tesla is at last an opportunity for me and many others to pursue the dream of building the best cars in the world," he says, "while being part of one of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley."

Mary Barra thinks GM is a leader in autonomous tech

Saying General Motors is "among the leaders" in autonomous vehicle technology, CEO Mary Barra rapped about her company's driverless work in an interview with USA Today. Barra covered a number of topics, including well-known efforts, like Cadillac's upcoming Super Cruise technology, as well as hinting at "a lot of efforts that are confidential." "Things are moving quickly in autonomous [cars] because there's so many different pathways and the standards aren't even set. A lot of people can claim leads because people are making advancements in different areas," Barra said. "Next year we're going to have Super Cruise on one of our Cadillacs. On highways you'll be able to take your hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals – with a very creative way to make sure the driver is alert and involved in the driving process." As for those "confidential" efforts, feel free to speculate. GM has recently confirmed that it'd be running autonomous Volts at its Warren, MI tech center, which certainly indicates that the company is playing with much more than Super Cruise. GM will need to continue to embrace autonomous driving, owing to both traditional competitors like Toyota, as well as non-traditional opposition, like Google and Apple. Speaking of its competition from Silicon Valley, Barra was asked about two of the region's biggest names – Apple's Tim Cook and Tesla boss Elon Musk. "I have tremendous respect for Tim Cook, and I don't really think he needs advice from me," Barra told USA Today with a laugh. And when asked about Apple's future as a "viable competitor," she said, "I have no insights other than what I read in the papers. But it would be foolish for me not to assume that they're going to." As for Mr. Musk's openness about future products and how it contrasts with GM's relatively closed attitude, Barra also gave a chuckle. "I'm sure you would like me to say yes. I think we're fundamentally different. Look at our volume and look at the segments where we compete. His product line – his two products – his scale, it's completely different." The rest of Barra's interview is certainly worth a read, and includes talk about the Volkswagen diesel scandal, GM's changed relationship with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Uber. Head over to The Detroit Free Press website for the full story from USA Today.