This is Tesla's biggest marketing problem & how to solve it. The problem is Autopilot. And not just in Europe... And the solution is simple. Let Elon Musk see this please.

@Tesla @elonmusk To be honest, it would help if Tesla enabled FSD for the first 5,000 miles of a new vehicle. I think that alone would boost FSD purchases a bit.

Yeah, the question I'm most often asked in relation to my Tesla (after the infamous "How far can it go?"), is "Can it drive itself?". I always hesitate to answer because my typical response is, "Well... YES, but actually NO," and then I mumble something about FSD in the US, European legislation, etc.

@Tesla @elonmusk Exactly! It's so frustrating. But even in the US, where FSD is technically available to everyone, most people are never going to give it a chance after experiencing Autopilot first. The sequence is really what matters here.

@Tesla @elonmusk I agree with you 💯 % Autopilot is actually really crappy software. And I was shocked and so disappointed to learn this after I bought my Tesla a few months ago. Turns out my previous old car had a better autopilot system. @Tesla_AI really needs to upgrade the autopilot.

@Tesla @elonmusk Exactly!!! If you don’t try FSD, you don’t understand!!! Many people in Europe is skeptical because they compare it to AP

@elonmusk Watch the full video where I try driving through Prague using Autopilot to prove this exact point:

@Tesla @elonmusk Autopilot and Enhanced Autopilot is far behind of competition like HMC (Hyundai/Kia). It's like 2010s tech in 2025. And for an European it's the only option on Tesla practically. @elonmusk you should stop that.

And please, @Tesla @Tesla_AI update map data!! Why does my car in the autobahn on autopilot go from 140 to 80 to 40?! Stop changing my set speed! Oh, and allow me to set my cruise to higher than 150. Fine that Autopilot stops at 140 but let me set my cruise to what i want. My ice car would let me set it to 200 and still did lanekeep and tacc. Autopilot is actually a step back.

@Tesla @elonmusk Could not agree more. My brother (who does not follow tesla closely) has a Tesla with autopilot, and is convinced all Tesla self driving software is awful.

@Tesla @elonmusk 100% agree. Autopilot has so many phantom breakings and drives anoyingly always in the middle. We are taught to drive closer to the left. I only use it on motorways, in moderate to low traffic.

100% agreed. @Tesla has a marketing problem because it has failed to deliver a clear message about its most valuable feature: #FSD. "Autopilot" is a misleading marketing term and confuses customers. Change "Autopilot" to "Basic Driver Assistance", or drop the "Autopilot" feature altogether. FSD or nothing! @elonmusk @Tesla_AI @TeslaBoomerMama @DriveTeslaca @robmaurer @herbertong

This has been my train of thoughts for a while now. I have many non tech people around who bought teslas because they're nice and cheap to use etc... But they all say the same thing, autopilot is just terrible, even simple cruise control is bad. You never know if it will update the speed limit or not, if it will brake for no reason, if it will read the sign in front of it (which displays on the screen but for some reason won't update). honestly, it's 2025, and autopilot is actually even worse than it was when I first tried it in 2019...

There’s a common misconception that “autopilot” is “FSD” most layman customers won’t know the difference. Most won’t know what the acronym FSD stands for. They’ll think autopilot is the feature that drives you and in my experience it’s the first term people say when they think of Tesla. “Oh that autopilot thing is dangerous why would you pay for it!?”

@Tesla @elonmusk Autopilot (at least in Europe) is at best "meh". Tesla needs to distance the shit out of FSD from that system, or make it better (which they can even under current UNECE rules) and make it good marketing tool for FSD.

@Tesla @elonmusk One month free trial FSD for everyone

@Tesla @elonmusk Still doesn't fix this issue. Why would you try FSD if you assume it's just Autopilot, which you don't like using?

@Tesla @elonmusk Yeah, I’m saying for all new purchases..

Autopilot shouldn’t even exist. All Teslas should just have FSD. Period. Price should be baked into every car sold, and not just those that decide to upgrade. Paying thousands of dollars for a software upgrade is none sense. There is no difference in cost for Tesla to enable it on 1 car or 1M cars.

Autopilot is not bad, stop being stupid. I drove at night in the rain at highway speeds passing trucks that splashed water on my windshield and autopilot had not one single hesitation, it slowed a bit down in some of the above cases but it was exceptional.. Now, I would prefer FSD of course but let’s not be little brats..this feature comes free with all Tesla’s and it’s one of the best in the industry..

@Tesla @elonmusk Of course Autopilot isn't bad, but you're missing the point. When you have such a miracle product like FSD, why on Earth would you let Autopilot be the demo for it? Because that's what most people think it is! If Tesla didn't have FSD, Autopilot would be just fine.

@Tesla @elonmusk I see what you are saying, i agree to an extent. Having Autopilot with llm’s would make it better, hands down, but it would still be limited to what autopilot is allowed atm. So people will still not understand how revolutionary FSD truly is.

Agree, it’s the strangest marketing I have ever seen. Whilst I live in Europe and we have no access to FSD, using autopilot is something I very rarely do… why…? Because it’s awful. I just do everything manual on my Tesla. I have no desire to spend thousands of £ on FSD (even when it comes live) after my experience with AP.

They just need to make it standard. When you push the button BOOM you got it. Other manufacturers can purchase. But with Tesla it comes standard. That’s how you do it. I have Sooooo many friends with Tesla who love the car and don’t use FsD. They say auto pilot is good enough. Because they haven’t really used it!!!!

@Tesla @elonmusk I agree with you. I’ve seen enough FSD video to feel that AP is lackluster at best, in comparison. I only use it if there is little or no traffic.

I agree 💯 In NZ we don't have FSD, and based on my experience of Autopilot I would not even consider spending money on FSD, it's hard to believe the huge step-up required to get from AP to fully autonomous FSD is solved. My opinion is that autopilot should BE FSD, without auto-navigation, and some other features that could be inhibited. Leaving the safety features intact would be good for everyone, including Tesla. I've always wished the default safety response by AP to driver inattention would be to pull over safely, rather than simply flipping out of AP and leaving the car driver-less. Medical emergencies are not uncommon in cars and this could be a life-saving feature. Likewise, retrieving your phone from the floor. People would stop doing that if the car moved to the shoulder and stopped every time. I have the distinct impression that (if AP were sentient) it would be saying, petulantly, "Oh well, if you're not paying attention to the road, then I won't either".

@Tesla @elonmusk Tesla offered 3 months of FSD with the purchase. So, you have the opportunity to experience it.

@Tesla @elonmusk 100% agree on this. The confusion between old Autopilot and FSD leads to a lot of issues. Marketing issues, but also worse. For instance, a recent (hr long) Dutch documentary (reputable makers) on Tesla safety issues, but they completely screwed up confusing Autopilot and FSD.

@Tesla @elonmusk Camera calibration issue? It seems your car either has this problem, or doesn't. Which would mean something fixable on the car rather than something intrinsic to FSD.

@Tesla @elonmusk True...I'm in🇹🇼and Autopilot nags happen once every 10 seconds... We need FSD-based lane keep assistant @elonmusk (Also, the competition offers lane-changing and Autopark for free, so Tesla is actually losing points when our local media compare its driving assist to others'😭)

@Tesla @elonmusk I think a problem with the average buyer is that FSD is practically worthless when selling. My old Tesla had FSD & it didn't change the selling price in any way, I also wasn't allowed to transfer it to my new one. I loved FSD but it's definitely upsetting when upgrading

@Tesla @elonmusk Exactly 😌

@Tesla @elonmusk Yes. Most people don’t get it.

It might be bureaucracy! FSD is not available because throughout Europe, bureaucrats refuse to issue permits, citing safety concerns despite statistical evidence showing fewer accidents per driven mile compared to human drivers, as reported by Tesla's safety data and corroborated by independent studies like those from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in 2024.

@Tesla @elonmusk Agreed. We need a toned down FSD, that works like autopilot, but doesn’t change lanes…

@Tesla @elonmusk Every Tesla should come with a one-year FSD subscription, replacing Autopilot as the default setting. Tesla does not earn much from FSD right now, so it would have little financial impact in the beginning. However, it would greatly improve brand perception!.

@Tesla @elonmusk @tesla should bite the bullet and replace autopilot with FSD light. Give me something that doesn’t engage in cities, only supports lane changes on freeways, but alerts the driver to take over when encountering a turn at intersections, a stop sign, a traffic light.

@Tesla @elonmusk Autopilot = Lane & distance & speed keep FSD = Magic

@Tesla @elonmusk 💯 % 👍

@Tesla @elonmusk Agreed. When I was new to Tesla I put it on Autopilot instead of FSD by accident and it scared the begeezus out of me within 10 seconds and I had to disengage. Almost lost all faith in FSD until I realized my mistake. But what a world of difference between the two technologies