Tesla is apparently facing a lawsuit from a consumer protection agency in Germany, the Wettbewerbszentrale, over what they claim is false advertising regarding Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) technologies available on all Tesla vehicles.
The Wettbewerbszentrale is the largest and most influential self-regulatory institution for enforcing the right to unfair competition. In their claim against Tesla, they take particular aim against Tesla’s website which advertises Autopilot and FSD potential by the end of the year.
They claim that even if Tesla were to deliver on these technologies by the end of the year, many of the capabilities of FSD are not yet legally permitted on public roads in Germany, and will not be by the end of the year. Therefore, they claim, Tesla is knowingly misleading consumers by making the statement on its website.
In Tesla’s recent Q3 2019 earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that “feature complete” FSD will probably still make it to an Early Access Program (EAP) release before the end of the year, but it’s going to be tight. If Musk is hedging his bets on delivering something by a deadline, you know it has to be close.
h/t [Electrek]