Wi-Fi

January 19, 2026, 2:42 AM EST. Tesla on Thursday said it will drop upfront sales of Full Self-Driving and move to a subscription model on February 14. The timing overlaps with a California court ruling that could curb how the company markets autonomy, prompting questions about strategy. The court found the FSD and Autopilot labels misleading regarding SAE levels of automation but did not order a halt on using the FSD name. A subscription model would not automatically alter branding or claims; the marketing remains under a legal cloud. The petition for reconsideration is due January 15. Whether the move is a response to the ruling is unclear; the company has argued the changes reflect payment structure, not marketing language.