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A
spokeswoman for the ministry, confirming a report in the daily
Bild am Sonntag (BamS), said the Federal Motor Transport
Authority (KBA) had written to Tesla to make the request.
"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," she said in a written
response to a Reuters' query.
A Tesla spokeswoman said the Autopilot term, describing a system
operating in conjunction with a human driver, had been used in
aerospace for decades, and that the company had always made it
clear to customers that the assistance system required drivers
to pay attention at all times.
"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," she said.
On Friday the KBA - which reports to Dobrindt - wrote to owners
of Tesla cars, warning them that their vehicles could not be
operated without their constant attention and that under traffic
regulations they must remain alert.
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."
Tesla's Autopilot has been the focus of intense scrutiny since a
Tesla Model S driver was killed while using the technology in a
May 7 collision with a truck in Florida.
(Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editing by Mark Potter, Greg Mahlich)
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