Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the company’s website announced that existing and new customers in the United States will receive a one-month trial of Tesla’s driver-assist technology Full Self-Driving (FSD). In addition, Tesla staff will be required to provide demonstrations of FSD to new buyers and owners of serviced vehicles. These details were confirmed by two emails verified by a Tesla source.
The decision to offer this trial period comes at a time when Tesla’s sales and margins are facing pressure from price competition and softening demand. FSD is an add-on feature priced at $12,000, which allows vehicles to navigate city streets. Despite Tesla’s branding of its driver-assisting systems as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, the company emphasizes that these features do not make its vehicles autonomous and require active driver supervision.
Elon Musk confirmed on social media platform X that all US cars capable of FSD will be enabled for the one-month trial this week. The trial will apply to new sales of Tesla models X, S, and Y, according to the company’s website.
Tesla has been facing negative impacts on its margins due to a price war with competitors that began over a year ago. In January, the company anticipated “notably lower” sales growth for the year as it shifts its focus to the production of its next-generation EV, codenamed “Redwood.” Additionally, Tesla is facing increased regulatory scrutiny of its self-driving systems and other aspects in the United States and some European countries. In December, Tesla recalled nearly all of its 2 million vehicles on US roads to implement new safety measures.