Kiichiro Sato / Associated Press
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk's promises about autonomous vehicle technology are "almost unethical," AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said in an interview with CNBC.
- Musk said during an interview with ARK Invest released on Tuesday that he is "certain" Tesla vehicles will be able to operate without any driver intervention by the end of this year, pending regulatory approval.
- Tesla did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk's promises about autonomous vehicle technology are "almost unethical," AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said in an interview with CNBC.
"I think he is overpromising on autonomous vehicles in an almost unethical way," Jackson told CNBC.
Tesla did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Musk said during an interview with ARK Invest released on Tuesday that he is "certain" Tesla vehicles will be able to operate without any driver intervention by the end of this year, pending regulatory approval.
"I think we will be feature-complete full self-driving this year, meaning the car will be able to find you in a parking lot, pick you up, take you all the way to your destination without an intervention — this year. I would say that I am certain of that. That is not a question mark," Musk said.
Musk suggested the update would still require the driver to pay attention to the road, but estimated that Tesla vehicles will be capable of operating themselves without any attention from the driver by the end of next year. He added that both updates would depend on regulatory approval.
But Musk has missed projections about autonomous-driving technology on multiple occasions. In 2015, Musk said Tesla would have fully autonomous driving technology ready in about two years, and Tesla has passed multiple deadlines set by Musk to send a self-driving vehicle across the US.
Jackson also criticized how Tesla has sold its Model 3 sedan, which Musk said would have a base price of $35,000 when Tesla began taking reservations for it in 2016. Tesla has yet to begin selling a $35,000 version of the vehicle, which starts at $42,900 before federal and state incentives.
"There’s not another retailer in America that could get away with that bait and switch," Jackson said.
Jackson is preparing to end his tenure as the CEO of AutoNation, which is the largest chain of auto dealerships in the US, in March.
Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.
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