Berlin, July 15 (IANS) Tesla CEO Elon Musk has questioned a German court after it was ruled that the electric carmaker can no longer use the ads in Germany because they improperly claimed the vehicles have “full potential for autonomous driving.”
In a tweet, Musk said: “Tesla Autopilot was literally named after the term used in aviation. Also, what about Autobahn!?”
According to Tesla, it has informed customers that its automated driver assistance technology did not amount to a fully autonomous driving system.
“Using the term ‘Autopilot’ and other phrases suggest the cars were technically able to drive completely autonomously. Additionally, it is claimed that would be legal in Germany, which isn’t the case,” the court said in a statement.
The case was brought by Germany’s Wettbewerbszentrale, an industry-sponsored body tasked with policing anti-competitive practices.
It said that Tesla’s claims amounted to misleading business practices, adding that the average buyer might be given the impression that the car could drive without human intervention.
Tesla’s autopilot system has drawn criticism from regulators, including from the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States, saying it lacks safeguards.
The Autopilot system helps the driver to automatically stay in their lane, and keep a safe distance from other vehicles, among other things and it is standard in Tesla vehicles.
–IANS
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