Tesla will no longer use the term “Autopilot” to describe the self-driving capabilities of its vehicles in California, following a complaint from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that the term was misleading customers.
The decision comes after the DMV found in December that Tesla‘s marketing was violating state law, suggesting that its cars could drive autonomously. The issue is related to written marketing materials for Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features that Tesla started publishing in May 2021. As a result of the complaint, Tesla had appended “(Supervised)” to some of its marketing materials, but will now drop the “Autopilot” term altogether in California to avoid a 30-day sales suspension in the state.
By taking this corrective action, Tesla has addressed the DMV’s concerns and can continue to sell its vehicles in California without interruption. The move is likely to have implications for how Tesla markets its self-driving capabilities in other states, and may prompt other manufacturers to review their own marketing practices to ensure compliance with state laws and regulations.
Leave a Reply