Posted on July 19, 2023
In an effort to address longstanding customer concerns, Tesla has announced that it will finally permit owners who purchased the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package to transfer the software to a new car. However, this offer is only valid for orders placed within this quarter.
The Full Self-Driving package, currently priced at $15,000, has been sold by Tesla since 2016 with the promise of eventual full autonomous driving capability without any need for driver supervision. Despite this, Tesla has not yet delivered on this promise, seven years on.
Over the years, the cost of the FSD package has escalated from a few thousand dollars to its current hefty price tag. While the capabilities of the package have increased during this time, they still fall short of the original promises made by Tesla.
This has left many Tesla owners in a difficult position. Those who had previously purchased the FSD package without receiving the full functionality they were promised, are now required to pay an additional $15,000 to include the package on a new Tesla vehicle. This has understandably caused dissatisfaction among customers, especially given the yet unfulfilled promises regarding the FSD package on their existing vehicles.
Furthermore, it has recently come to light that Tesla does not assign the same $15,000 value to the FSD package when it comes to Tesla trade-ins equipped with FSD. As we previously noted, Tesla allowing FSD-equipped vehicle owners to transfer the FSD to a new vehicle could be a way to compensate for the yet unfulfilled FSD package promises.
During the Q2 2023 financial results conference call, CEO Elon Musk announced this very concession. Tesla owners who order a new car during the third quarter – before the end of September, will be allowed to transfer their FSD package from their trade-in to the new vehicle. Musk described this as a "one-time offer of amnesty".
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