Tesla says California agency implicitly approved of its 'Autopilot' brand

FILE PHOTO: A Tesla Model 3 vehicle drives on autopilot along the 405 highway in Westminster, California, U.S., March 16, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(Reuters) - Tesla Inc defended its use of "Autopilot" and "self-driving" for its driver assistance features, arguing in response to a California regulatory action that the agency had implicitly approved the terms when it did not take action in its previous investigations of them.

The electric car company run by billionaire Elon Musk was accused last year by California's Department of Motor Vehicles of falsely advertising its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features as providing autonomous vehicle control.