German officials: Tesla shouldn't say 'Autopilot' in its ads read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1305-german-officials-tesla-shouldn-t-say-autopilot-in-its-ads

German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt has asked Tesla to stop advertising its electric vehicles as having an Autopilot function as this might suggest drivers' attention is not needed.

To be absolutely clear, your Tesla will not drive you around town on its own... yet. A Tesla spokesperson maintained that the word  "autopilot"  has been used in the aerospace industry for years in reference to systems that assist pilots in flight, and that the company has always been clear that people still have to pay attention to the road.

A Tesla spokesperson said, "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,"

An update issued last month disables the Autopilot mode if the driver keeps removing their hands from the wheel.

Tesla's "Autopilot" feature has come under fire in recent months. Earlier this year, a car using Autopilot was involved in a fatal accident.  Germany's transportation ministry said the Model S Autopilot was a "considerable traffic hazard."

 

According to the BamS report, the KBA letter to Tesla said: "In order to prevent misunderstanding and incorrect customers' expectations, we demand that the misleading term Autopilot is no longer used in advertising the system."