Tesla Motors to open seven stores this summer

Tesla announced yesterday that it will open a total of seven regional sales and service centers this summer. In the United States, Tesla plans on opening a store in New York, Seattle and Chicago in June. Following those three stores Tesla will open up shop in Miami. 

Later this month, Tesla will open a store in London, followed by Munich and Monaco.

“Tesla takes its showroom cues from Apple, Starbucks and other customer-focused retailers,” Tesla said in a statement. “Tesla stores provide a welcoming spot to surf the Web, test drive cars and learn more about Tesla, the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in North America or Europe.”

“We are rethinking almost every aspect of the automobile - from the powertrain to the customer experience, both online and in our stores,” said Tesla CEO and Product Architect Elon Musk. 

Earlier this week, Tesla announced that it delivered its 500th Roadster in the United States. The California-based automaker will begin producing the $128,500 Roadster Sport later this month. 

It has also received over 1,000 reservations for the Model S sedan.

Congressional letter alleges Nardelli and Chrysler failed to disclose more lucrative offer for Viper

In a letter from California Congressman Darrell Issa to Chrysler's Bob Nardelli, the Auburn Hills executive is charged with failing to disclose information regarding the sale of the Dodge Viper line.
According to the letter obtained by Autoblog from a source close to the situation, the Republican congressman cites Nardelli's explanation as part of the automaker's bankruptcy proceeding that there was "a lack of 'purchaser interest in response to the offering of Chrysler's Connor Avenue Viper manufacturing plant for $10 million." And yet, the letter states, "The Committee has conducted interviews and reviewed materials that clearly show there was in fact one purchaser willing to pay $35 million to purchase the Viper line."
The communication indicates that discussions were held as early as February between Chrysler's emissaries and Joseph Moch Sr. and Joseph Moch Jr. to buy all of the company's Viper-related assets. Further, an oral agreement was reportedly reached in April, with an acquisition agreement drafted later that month for $35 million - substantially more than the $10 million Chrysler was reportedly seeking for the Connor Avenue plant.
Despite the offer from Moch and apparent interest from other companies, the letter notes that Chrysler only reported a single bid for its Viper business to the bankruptcy court's Judge Arthur Gonzalez - the much smaller $5.5 million offer from Devon Motor Works reported last week. In the letter, Congressman Issa warns Nardelli:

"Failure to make this disclosure may have been illegal if you knowingly made false statements in response to questions under oath."

Perhaps the central question is: Why would Nardelli and Co. fail to disclose the Moch offer? Issa's letter offers a theory:

As you know, the Fiat group includes Ferrari, a Viper competitor in the sports car market. If it is the case that Fiat used its "hard-fought" superior bargaining position to establish as a condition of the merger a requirement that Chrysler allow the Viper brand to disappear in order to reduce competition for Ferrari, this too must be presented to the court.

Issa goes on to urge Nardelli to "disclose all legiimate offers for Viper to the court at the hearing," (which is slated to occur today, June 5) as well as "all records and communications between Chrysler and its agents with Joseph Moch Sr., Joseph Moch Jr., and their legal representatives."
So... did Nardelli and Chrysler really fail to disclose more lucrative offers for the Viper - possibly because of pressure from new parent Fiat? Stay tuned.

Chrysler reported to be hiding bid for Viper, Fiat said to be threatened by Viper as Ferrari rival

Last month when Chrysler listed most of its $2 billion assets in bankruptcy court, the Auburn Hills automaker said that it didn’t have any firm offers for its Viper brand, which was put up for sale last August. The only offer that Chrysler listed was a $5.5 billion bid by Devon Motors Works.

Now there is a new twist to the Viper story. A California congressman asked former CEO Bob Nardelli to disclose information on a $35 million bid for Viper. He said that the offer hand been hidden from Chrysler’s bankruptcy filing.

In a letter to Bob Nardelli, Rep. Darrell Issa, Calif. said that the lack of disclosure about the information on the bid suggests that Chrysler’s bankruptcy was mishandled. He said that Chrysler must provide proof that Fiat SpA was not trying to get rid of Viper altogether in order to eliminate a rival to its Ferrari unit.

Issa said that a group of investors had been exploring to buy Chrysler’s Viper business in March and April. He said that the group had spoken to Louisiana officials and that the office has a record of a sales agreement that was never signed.

“If it is the case that Fiat used its ‘hard-fought’ superior bargaining position to establish as a condition of the merger a requirement that Chrysler allow the Viper brand to disappear in order to reduce competition for Ferrari, this too must be presented to the court, said Issa.”

All we can say is - Sergio Marchionne may have been threatened with the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR’s 7:22.1 Nurburgring lap.