Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made a surprise announcement regarding the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system: it will no longer be sold as an upfront option on its vehicles and instead, will be offered as a monthly subscription service after February 14. This move may prove beneficial for new Tesla owners who wish to upgrade or downsize their vehicle in the future.
Under the new arrangement, prospective buyers can opt for FSD at a rate of $99 per month or $999 annually. However, what this shift signifies remains unclear. Musk has consistently touted self-driving capabilities on his vehicles since 2015, with a promised timeline of complete autonomy by 2018.
It's worth noting that FSD has never achieved true Level 4 or 5 autonomous driving status due to its inability to operate without human supervision. This leaves it more accurately described as an enhanced driver assistance system rather than self-driving technology. The labeling of the system as "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" by Tesla has also faced criticism from consumer watchdogs and government agencies, who have accused the company of false advertising.
A recent California court ruling has highlighted the issue, with a judge ordering Tesla to suspend its sales in the state for 30 days due to alleged deceptive marketing practices. However, the company has been given 90 days to comply, potentially avoiding punishment altogether.
Under the new arrangement, prospective buyers can opt for FSD at a rate of $99 per month or $999 annually. However, what this shift signifies remains unclear. Musk has consistently touted self-driving capabilities on his vehicles since 2015, with a promised timeline of complete autonomy by 2018.
It's worth noting that FSD has never achieved true Level 4 or 5 autonomous driving status due to its inability to operate without human supervision. This leaves it more accurately described as an enhanced driver assistance system rather than self-driving technology. The labeling of the system as "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" by Tesla has also faced criticism from consumer watchdogs and government agencies, who have accused the company of false advertising.
A recent California court ruling has highlighted the issue, with a judge ordering Tesla to suspend its sales in the state for 30 days due to alleged deceptive marketing practices. However, the company has been given 90 days to comply, potentially avoiding punishment altogether.
First of all, it makes sense that new Tesla owners might wanna upgrade or downgrade later on, but is this really a good idea for existing owners who already shelled out big bucks for the feature? I mean, they're not exactly gonna get their money back if they change their minds now. And what's with the $99/month price tag? That's like, almost as much as your rent 
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. I mean, Elon said 2018 was gonna be the year of complete autonomy, but that never happened 
. It's more like an enhanced driver assist system, which is cool and all, but not exactly what people thought they were getting.
And what about the whole California court ruling thing? I mean, Tesla got some reprieve, but it's still shady that they're being accused of false advertising 
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... I mean, who does he think he is? First, it's " Autopilot" and now it's FSD... can't we just have honest labels like everyone else?! 
It's ridiculous that people are still falling for this marketing hype. And what about those new Tesla owners who already shelled out top dollar for the system? Now they're being nickel-and-dimed with a monthly subscription fee? No thanks! 
And honestly, who thought this was a good idea? If you want to upgrade or downgrade your vehicle, that's one thing, but the whole subscription model just seems like a money grab 
I know some people might say it's better for new owners who want to upgrade or downsize, but honestly, I'm just confused by the whole thing. And what's with the constant timelines and promises? Can we just get a straight answer from them already?! 
. It's like they're saying, "Hey, we'll offer FSD as a subscription service, but only if you trust us to do it right (or at least, that's what we claim) 
". And don't even get me started on the pricing – $999 annually is just crazy 
".