Cars and Drivers

Tesla's 'Navigate on Autopilot' Feature Released; Model 3 Price Lowered

Paul Ausick

Published: October 28, 2018 7:49 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 3:45 pm

First announced in tweet late Friday by CEO Elon Musk and then in a company blog post, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) is rolling out a feature called “Navigate on Autopilot” that was not included in the release of version 9 of the automaker’s software that was distributed earlier this month.

Tesla’s “Navigate on Autopilot” feature provides active guidance that “guides a car from a highway’s on-ramp to off-ramp, including suggesting lane changes, navigating highway interchanges and taking exits,” under active supervision by the driver.

Despite the name, Autopilot is not fully self-driving. As Tesla’s blog post states, “[U]ntil truly driverless cars are validated and approved by regulators, drivers are responsible for and must remain in control of their car at all times.” Lane changes, for example, must be confirmed by the driver using the car’s turn stalk.

The feature will be available to Tesla customers who have purchased enhanced Autopilot ($5,000) or full self-driving (FSD) capability ($3,000).