Tesla Basically Just Admitted It Was Misleading Customers, Renames Full Self-Driving to “Tesla Assisted Driving” In Europe
Futurism ·
Not so adamant now. The post Tesla Basically Just Admitted It Was Misleading Customers, Renames Full Self-Driving to “Tesla Assisted Driving” In Europe appeared first on Futurism .
Tesla has admitted a major defeat in its branding.
No longer will its notorious driving software be called “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” in Europe. After negotiations with Germany’s transportation ministry, it’s agreed to rename it “Tesla Assisted Driving,” in a more accurate representation of the software’s capabilities — and a symbolically humiliating submission by Elon Musk’s automaker.
The concession, however, will pave the way for Tesla to finally release FSD in European markets, so it’s a tradeoff that Musk will happily accept after years of campaigning to make it happen.
The rename has quickly taken effect. Across its European websites in countries including Germany, Spain, and even outside the European Union in the UK, all mentions of FSD now refer to “Tesla Assisted Driving,” Reuters reports . European users report that the new name is being shown in Tesla apps.
The rebranding came after German transport minister Steffen Bilger announced Tuesday that he would back approval of FSD across Europe, after a lengthy discussion process with the automaker.
“My goal is for Tesla drivers to be able to enjoy the benefits of ‘assisted driving’ throughout the EU without delay,” said Bilger.
The change of heart didn’t come out of nowhere. A previous Reuters investigation detailed a heavy-handed social media campaign orchestrated by Tesla to smear European regulators as blocking life-saving technology, while also pressuring them to lighten their safety reviews and accept Tesla’s own research on the safety of its systems.
Musk himself, meanwhile, has repeatedly made catastrophizing statements on X to his hundreds of millions of followers, claiming that delaying the approval of FSD “will cost lives.”
That’s despite the numerous lawsuits and federal investigations his automaker is facing over the safety of FSD, including over fatal incidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into nearly three million Teslas equipped with FSD after receiving reports of the cars violating traffic laws, including running red lights, driving the wrong way, and nearly driving into trains at railway crossings.
Beyond safety, one of the things that has rubbed European regulators the wrong way is how the system’s name suggests that it can fully drive itself, when in reality it requires constant supervision in case the driver needs to take over at a moment’s notice. Bilger said Tesla offered to rename the system to “Tesla Assisted Driving” to address the criticism that the name could be misleading.
FSD’s spurious branding has caused friction with US regulators, too. The California DMV sued Tesla for alleged fake advertising because of FSD’s name. Amid the legal battle and regulatory scrutiny, Tesla quietly renamed Full Self-Driving to “Full Self-Driving (Supervised).” In China, it similarly redubbed the system “Intelligent Assisted Driving.”
It’s a striking, though not unprecedented, reversal from Tesla to rebrand FSD. Portraying the cars as fully autonomous is important to Musk, as he frequently asserts that they can “drive themselves.” Tesla even sued the California DMV for “wrongfully and baselessly” calling it a “false advertiser” for using FSD. It evidently doesn’t believe enough in its own tech’s capabilities, though, to stick to its guns in Europe.
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The post Tesla Basically Just Admitted It Was Misleading Customers, Renames Full Self-Driving to “Tesla Assisted Driving” In Europe appeared first on Futurism .