Tesla sued for 'false advertising' on self-driving cars

Tesla is being sued for ‘false advertising' on its full self-driving car. According to a lawsuit brought about by Briggs A Matsko, seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the lawsuit was brought about “to hold Tesla and its representatives, including CEO Elon Musk, accountable for years of making misleading and deceptive statements regarding the company’s advanced driver assistance systems”.

The lawsuit alleges that for years, Tesla has deceptively and misleadingly marketed its ADAS technology as autonomous driving technology under various names, including “Autopilot,” “Enhanced Autopilot,” and “Full Self-Driving Capability” (“FSD”), the latter two of which Tesla charges consumers thousands of additional dollars to add to their new vehicle.

It added that Tesla has deceived and misled consumers regarding the current abilities of its ADAS technology and by “representing that it was perpetually on the cusp of perfecting that technology” and “finally fulfilling its promise of producing a fully self-driving car”.

“Although these promises have proven false time and time again, Tesla and Musk have continued making them to generate media attention, to deceive consumers into believing it has unrivaled cutting-edge technology, and to establish itself as a leading player in the fast-growing electric vehicle market,” the lawsuit read.

Meanwhile, the company also made headlines this week with regards to its strict return to work policies. According to CNBC, the brand doesn’t have enough room or resources to bring its employees back to the office and the strict instructions have also cause a decline in morale.

In june this year, Musk also gave employees an ultimatum on returning to the office asking staff members to either return to office or leave the company. "Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean minimum) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla," the memo, said.

The outspoken CEO also shared that while some exceptions could be made, he will need to personally review and approve the requests himself. He added that the “office” must be a main Tesla office rather than a remote branch office which are unrelated to the job duties.

In June this year, Tesla also laid off its Singapore country manager after announcing that it would see a 10% reduction in workforce. The automotive maker is also reportedly planning for its Hong Kong office to oversee the operations in Singapore. 

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