Germany Asks Tesla To Remove 'Autopilot' From Advertisements

Alexander Dobrindt, German Transport Minister, has asked Tesla to halt advertising the self-driving software on its vehicles as this might suggest that the drivers' attention is not required. A spokeswoman for the ministry said the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) had written to Tesla to make the request. She told Reuters, "It can be confirmed 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."

According to a report in Bild am Sonntag, a German national Sunday newspaper, 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."

The KBA also wrote to owners of Tesla cars on Friday, advising them that their vehicles could not be operated without their constant attention and that they must remain alert.

While Tesla is yet to respond to the latest development in Germany, since the first report of an accident involving the Autopilot system, the company has firmly maintained that drivers are warned about the feature. It said that upon activation of the Autopilot feature, drivers are adequately informed that it "is an assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times".