After Beijing Crash, Tesla Removes ‘Autopilot’ from China Website

Aug. 15, 2016—Tesla removed the word “autopilot” from its Chinese website after a crash occurred in Beijing in which Tesla’s Autopilot was activated, according to a report from Automotive News.

The driver of the crashed Tesla complained that Tesla misled buyers into believing that the driver assistance feature is more capable than it actually is. The driver crashed with autopilot activated when the vehicle failed to avoid a vehicle parked on the left side of the road, partially in the roadway. Both vehicles were damaged, but no injuries were caused. 

The term used on the Chinese website most literally translates to “self-driving,” but also means autopilot. A Tesla spokeswoman said the automaker is continuously working to make improvements in translations on its website. A new term translating to “self-assisted driving” is now used on the China site.  

“We've been in the process of addressing any discrepancies across languages for many weeks,” the Tesla spokeswoman said. “Timing had nothing to do with current events or articles.”