Tesla’s famous semi-autonomous driving system keeps having a harsh time in Germany, and after being called a “hazard”, the country’s authorities are now asking the automaker to stop using the ‘Autopilot’ term in advertising.
Citing a report in the daily BildAmSonntag, Reuters states that the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) had already wrote Tesla Motors, saying: “In order to prevent misunderstanding and incorrect customers’ expectations, we demand that the misleading term Autopilot is no longer used in advertising the system.“
KBA’s letter is backed up by a spokesperson for the Transport Ministry, who told Reuters that “a letter to Tesla exists with the request to no longer use the misleading term Autopilot for the driver assistance system of the car.“
In response to the German authorities, a Tesla representative said that the Autopilot system has been designed to “reduce driver workload” and, when used correctly, it “provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving.“
Moreover, the KBA, which reports directly to the German Transport Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, contacted local owners of Tesla cars, reminding them that they must remain alert at all times and that their vehicles cannot be operated “without their constant attention.”