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Tesla's Model 3 Sedan May Get a Consumer Reports Nod After All

Tesla's Model 3 Sedan May Get a Consumer Reports Nod After All

(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc.’s Model 3 may not be at a dead end when it comes to getting a recommendation from a magazine many consumers consult before buying a new car.

Consumer Reports is willing to re-evaluate the sedan it bought from Tesla, according to Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing at the magazine. There’s a chance the publication could recommend the car if its overall score improves enough following an over-the-air software update that Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk tweeted about Monday.

“CR is pleased that Tesla is taking our braking test results seriously,” Fisher said in an emailed statement. “That they are committed to implementing a fix and improving stopping distances on the Model 3 is good for everyone on the road.”

Musk wrote in a series of tweets that the Consumer Reports evaluation of Model 3 differed from other reviewers’ experiences and said that the magazine had taken delivery of an early-production car.

“Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update,” he wrote in one post, referring to variability in anti-lock braking system calibration. “Will be rolling that out in a few days. With further refinement, we can improve braking distance beyond initial specs. Tesla won’t stop until Model 3 has better braking than any remotely comparable car.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Dana Hull in San Francisco at dhull12@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Trudell at ctrudell1@bloomberg.net, Jamie Butters

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