Tesla Faces FSD Controversy as It Nears 100,000 Sales in South Korea

At a glance

Tesla is close to selling 100,000 cars a year in South Korea, a first for an imported car brand in the country. However, most Tesla cars registered in Korea cannot use Full Self-Driving (FSD, a driver-assist feature that reduces the need for driver input). A consumer group has reported the issue to the Fair Trade Commission.

Key points

1. 1

   As of the end of September, about 77.6% of registered Teslas in Korea cannot use FSD, and most of them are China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

2. 2

   A consumer group filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission, saying FSD was sold without clearly disclosing its limits.

3. 3

   Bringing FSD to China-made vehicles requires technical verification approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry says it lacks enough data, so the timing is unclear.

4. 4

   A court rejected the request to cancel the FSD contract, but the Fair Trade Commission is separately reviewing how the feature was advertised.

Why it matters

Buyers need to know whether a feature can be used before purchase so they can make sensible choices.