Regulators in France just told Tesla to get its act together or lose a pile of cash. The company has exactly four months to fix what – in their eyes – is sneaky advertising about its Full Self-Driving option, or it starts racking up fines of 50,000 euros, which works out to around $58,000 every day the problem sits there.
This is the same old song Tesla keeps hearing when it markets Autopilot and FSD overseas. The Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control, or DGCCRF for short, is now saying the jargon makes drivers think the car can cruise completely on its own, and that simply isn’t true.
The DGCCRF did not leave room for debate. Change the wording or pay up, plain and simple.
French complaints piled up on Signal Conso, a government site where people report shady business moves. After digging into those tips all summer, the French Ministry of Economy decided the promises were way more confident than the tech could back.
A note from the company that watches over businesses just hit the inbox. It warns Tesla: tidy up the self-driving ads or the daily tab runs to 50,000 euros, and quick. Serious, they say.
Folks in charge aren’t just grumpy about one thing. Their list mentions paperwork that shows up late, refunds that drag on, and even cars handed over before every i is dotted and t is crossed. Six strikes, if you count the self-driving talk and the rest.
Now, picture that fine in plain sales talk. One customer drops 8,000 euros on Full Self-Driving, and the clock starts ticking at midnight. Tesla would hunt for seven of those buyers every day just to stay even. Monthly books tell a bigger story: 1.8 million euros stack up fast; a year of that is 21.2 million euros, with no discounts.
France doesn’t get a flood of Teslas, either. Seven hundred twenty-one cars rolled off the truck there last May, and even if every single buyer clicked yes on FSD, the company still wouldn’t clear the water line. The take rate would have to be almost a third to keep from sinking—rainy day math, but that’s the game.
Over in France, things have gotten a little rough for Tesla. Sales are sliding, not because the motors are faulty, but because a lot of buyers are suddenly put off by what the brand symbolizes. Some people quietly admit they want out of their leases because they see the car as a moving megaphone for political opinions they don’t share. Elon Musk himself has become the headline, and now the headlights feel like they’re shining on his every tweet.
France’s slump isn’t happening in isolation. Back in China, regulators forced Tesla to slap a new name on the Full Self-Driving badge after consumers raised alarms. California officials are running parallel investigations, and Germany is busy filing paperwork of its own. When that many governments wave warning flags, it usually means the playbook needs a rewrite.
Most Tesla owners know the driver-assist tech still demands a human hand on the wheel. The real trouble begins with the folks who assume the car can cruise hands-free, and those drivers are often the last ones to sense the danger. A fresh look at how the software is marketed might keep a lot of those novices out of the ditch.
For more information, visit the Tesla Official Website here.
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Hey, I’m Badal! I’m super passionate about cars—especially electric ones. Whether it’s EVs, electric trucks, bikes, or anything with a battery and wheels, I’m all in. I love writing blogs and articles that break things down for fellow enthusiasts and curious readers alike. Hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do!
