Tesla driver assistance systems are targeted by US authorities.
A Super Bowl commercial deals out against the "Full Self Driving" mode.
Elon Musk counters.
Munich/Glendale – Super Bowl LVII is history: In a true football thriller, the Kansas City Chiefs only defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the closing seconds.
But the fans were not only treated to a spectacle on the pitch.
As every year, the commercials during the Super Bowl live broadcast were eye-catchers.
No wonder, because the TV spots are expensive enough.
Nevertheless, an American also treated himself to an expensive Super Bowl commercial.
Software entrepreneur Dan O'Dowd founded The Dawn Project campaign.
Their goal, according to their own website, is to “make computers safe for mankind”.
At Tesla, the campaign does not see this as guaranteed.
Nearly $600,000 Super Bowl Anti-Tesla Commercial Attacks Full Self-Driving Mode
With an expensive Super Bowl clip, the campaign attacked Tesla's self-driving cars.
The spot cost $598,000, according to a spokeswoman for The Dawn Project.
According to consistent media reports, however, in 2023 the unbelievable sum of 7 million dollars had to be paid for 30-second Super Bowl commercials.
Why the anti-Tesla clip allegedly cost only a fraction of that, according to "The Dawn Project", remained open.
Meanwhile, the 30-second commercial, which was played during the live TV broadcast of the Super Bowl, made serious allegations against Elon Musk's company and Tesla's "Full Self Driving" mode (FSD).
The FSD mode in Tesla cars is life-threatening for other road users and the public, the spot said.
This thesis should support drastic pictures.
In the clip, a Tesla Model 3 supposedly drove independently across the street.
It was stated that the car was traveling in FSD mode.
From the off, a voice claimed that the Tesla would be out of control on the streets.
A Tesla "runs over a child at the school's crosswalk," it said.
As if to prove it, the Model 3 plowed unchecked over a child's dummy crossing a zebra crossing.
As the Super Bowl commercial progressed, the Tesla almost ran into an oncoming vehicle.
Only the intervening driver prevented the impact.
The Tesla also mowed down a stroller and ignored a stop sign on a school bus, which it simply overtook.
Even one-way street signs didn't stop the Tesla from driving into the streets like a wrong-way driver.
"And also on the wrong side of the road" a Tesla in FSD mode is often on the road, warned the female voice in "The Dawn Project" commercial.
"The Dawn Project" takes on Elon Musk's companies - "Tesla's Full Self-Driving danger to the public"
The scathing verdict read: "Tesla's full self-driving is a danger to the general public - through deceptive marketing and worryingly incompetent technology." For "The Dawn Project" founder O'Dowd is clear that Tesla's FSD mode must be banned.
According to a CNN report, the FSD technology is officially still in the beta test phase.
Nevertheless, owners of a Tesla car already have the opportunity to have the FSD mode unlocked in their car for $15,000.
On January 31, Tesla had to publicly admit that the automaker had become a target of investigations by the US Department of Justice because of its driver assistance systems.
Several US authorities had previously accused Tesla of misleading consumers.
The Californian vehicle authority DMV sued the electric car manufacturer in 2022, alleging that Tesla presented its driver assistance systems better than they actually are.
The US traffic safety agency NHTSA is also currently investigating various incidents involving Tesla cars with autopilot.
Elon Musk reacts to anti-Tesla spot - in his own way
Meanwhile, a group of Tesla fans scoffed at the anti-spot during the Super Bowl.
"Thank you Dan O'Dowd for spending $7 million on this Tesla ad," read a tweet from the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Twitter account to The Dawn Project founder.
And further: "It is perfectly clear that your tests were fake, but grateful for breaking the news that Tesla is the leader in universal autonomy."
🤣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2023
Tesla founder Elon Musk was also linked in the tweet by fans of the electric car manufacturer.
The billionaire, who now also owns Twitter, responded to the Tesla supporters' tweet in his own way: with a tearful laughing emoji.
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