Driving presented as "autonomous," right of withdrawal not respected... This Tuesday, June 24, the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), the authority responsible for protecting consumers in France, ordered Tesla France to "cease its deceptive commercial practices." The French subsidiary of the electric car manufacturer has four months to change its mind, or face a penalty of €50,000 per day of delay. The French regulator is particularly targeting "the fully autonomous driving capability option of certain Tesla vehicles," which is said to be particularly misleading.
Everything allegedly started with consumer reports filed on Signal Conso in 2023, according to the French authority's press release. After two years of investigation, the consumer watchdog believes that the French subsidiary of Elon Musk's group has indeed violated several provisions of French law protecting consumers.
Lack of information, reimbursement...
Alongside the criticized "fully autonomous driving capability", the Fraud crackdown is targeting other practices of the American manufacturer, such as its purchasing procedures. The DGCCRF deplores sales contracts "without a delivery date, timeframe, or place," payments required before the end of the withdrawal period, and the lack of prior information or reimbursement when the right of withdrawal in question is exercised by a French consumer.
For several months, dark clouds have been gathering over Elon Musk's group, both in the United States and in France. On June 11, several of the brand's customers sued the group in France, claiming they could no longer drive their vehicles with peace of mind, as the Tesla brand was now associated with a conspiracy theorist, according to their lawyers.
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