German officials ask Tesla to stop using 'Autopilot' in its marketing (updated)

Next to convincing many to ditch their gas-guzzling cars in favor of electric power, a new challenge from Tesla has arisen in Germany that has to do with the company's most talked-about feature: Autopilot.

Officials from Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) have requested Tesla stop using the term "Autopilot" for its driver assistance feature, calling it misleading.

"It can be confirmed that a letter to Tesla exists with the request to no longer use the misleading term Autopilot for the driver assistance system of the car," a KBA official told Reuters.

According to the report, the German agency's letter to Tesla stated, "In order to prevent misunderstanding and incorrect customers' expectations, we demand that the misleading term Autopilot is no longer used in advertising the system."

Among its responsibilities, the agency oversees activities related to German road safety and product recalls.

Tesla has yet to offer a public response to the letter from Germany (update: Tesla's statement is below), but this isn't the first time the company's Autopilot feature has come under scrutiny.

Earlier this year, a man was killed while his Tesla Model S was in Autopilot mode, although it was later revealed that he was speeding at the time.

Company founder Elon Musk may address the German Autopilot issue on Wednesday, when he's scheduled to make a major product announcement.

UPDATE: Oct. 17, 2:45 p.m. ET: A Tesla spokesperson sent Mashable a statement addressing its Autopilot feature and the stated concerns from German officials regarding the feature:

"Tesla's Autopilot operates in conjunction with the human driver to make driving safer and less stressful. This is how the term has been used for decades in aerospace: to denote a support system that operates under the direct supervision of a human pilot.

We have always been clear with our customers that Autopilot is a driver assistance system that requires the driver to pay attention at all times, similar to driver assistance systems from other manufacturers. Just as in an airplane, when used properly, Autopilot reduces driver workload and provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving.

We have great faith in our German customers and are not aware of any who have misunderstood the meaning, but would be happy to conduct a survey to assess this."