German Officials Ask Tesla To Stop Marketing Its Autopilot Feature

One of the key features of Tesla’s vehicles would be its autopilot feature. In reality, the feature seems more like an enhanced/souped up version of cruise control where the car can sort of handle itself to a certain extent without any input from the driver. However Tesla has warned its customers time and time again that it is not a self-driving feature.

However given the name of the feature, we suppose it can come across the wrong way, so much so that over in Germany, the country’s Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt has asked Tesla to stop marketing autopilot in their advertisements. Dobrindt claims that by marketing the feature, it would send drivers the wrong message as if to say that their attention is not needed.

Tesla has since responded to the request by saying that they have always made it clear to customers that they need to pay attention at all times, even with autopilot enabled. A spokeswoman told Reuters, “Just as in an airplane, when used properly, Autopilot reduces driver workload and provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving.”

This isn’t the first time Tesla’s autopilot feature has come under fire. A few months ago there was an accident in China, and customers argued that due to the choice of words in Chinese Tesla used in China, it did indeed sound like they were marketing the feature as self-driving rather than assisted driving. This prompted Tesla to remove the term from its marketing materials in the country.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Transportation
Tags: Tesla