Consumer Reports: Tesla should drop Autopilot name
DETROIT - Consumer Reports magazine is calling on electric car maker Tesla Motors (TSLA) to change the name of its Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system and to disconnect the automatic steering feature after a fatal crash in Florida.
The magazine says in a statement that calling the system Autopilot promotes a dangerous assumption that Teslas can drive themselves. It also says the automatic steering should be disconnected until it's updated to make sure a driver's hands stay on the steering wheel at all times.
The magazine's calls come after 40-year-old Joshua Brown died in a May crash in Florida with the Autopilot on. The system didn't detect a tractor-trailer that had turned in front of Brown in bright sunshine, and Brown didn't react.
Messages were left Thursday seeking comment from Tesla spokespeople in California.