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Dispute over autonomous driving: Lawsuit against Tesla clears first hurdle

(dpa) Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in 2016 that his company's cars would soon drive autonomously. A US buyer sued because he relied on that - and can now score an initial success.

In the dispute over autonomous driving, the plaintiff has achieved an initial success. | Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
In the dispute over autonomous driving, the plaintiff has achieved an initial success. | Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
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Johannes Reichel

Tesla must face a lawsuit from a car buyer who accuses the electric pioneer of providing false information about the autonomous driving capability of its models. The plaintiff cites, among other things, the company's announcements from 2016 that new vehicles would have the necessary technical equipment for this purpose. He also refers to claims made by company CEO Elon Musk, who at the time stated that by the end of 2017, a Tesla model would be able to drive from the West Coast of the USA to the East Coast without the need to press a single button.

Judge Rita Lin ruled on Wednesday that the plaintiff had plausibly and in detail demonstrated that he relied on these claims when purchasing a Tesla Model S in January 2017. He also paid several thousand dollars extra for the future upgrade of Tesla's "Autopilot" system named "Full Self-Driving" - which, even today, does not make a Tesla an autonomous car. While "Full Self-Driving" can now be tested as an advanced "Autopilot" version by drivers in the USA, it remains only an assistance system, where the human at the wheel stays responsible and must be ready to take control at any time. Tesla has since added the "supervised" label to the "FSD" name.

Tesla wanted to have the car buyer's lawsuit dismissed entirely, but the judge only struck out individual claims. The plaintiff is also seeking class action status, which could significantly increase the pressure on Tesla. This decision will be made at a later date. The plaintiff also notes that Musk has repeatedly predicted that Teslas would soon be able to drive autonomously. The company head later admitted that he had often been too optimistic with his promises about self-driving cars. 

Translated automatically from German.
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