Musk Cut Basic Autopilot to Drive FSD Toward 10 Million Subscriptions

Musk Cut Basic Autopilot to Drive FSD Toward 10 Million Subscriptions

A source with knowledge of the matter says Elon Musk personally decided to remove Basic Autopilot from new Teslas to steer more buyers toward Full Self-Driving (FSD). The change pulled Autosteer from the standard feature set while leaving Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) in place. The push to grow FSD subscriptions aligns with a compensation milestone tied to Musk’s pay package.

The Timeline

Shareholders approved Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award at the last Annual Shareholder Meeting in November 2025. One of its operational milestones requires Tesla to reach 10 million active FSD subscriptions (or purchases), paired with a $2.5 trillion market cap goal.

About two and a half months later, in January 2026, Tesla stopped including Basic Autopilot on new vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. New cars came with TACC only. Anyone who wanted Autosteer, the feature that keeps the car centered in its lane, had to buy or subscribe to FSD.

Buyers could still purchase FSD outright at that point, but that option ended the very next month. Since then, FSD has only been available as a monthly subscription in North America.

A Brief History of Autopilot

Autosteer was not always included at no cost. Early on, owners had to purchase Enhanced Autopilot to get it. That package bundled TACC and Autosteer with features such as Auto Lane Change, Navigate on Autopilot, Autopark, and Summon, and was last priced at $6,000.

Around 2019, Tesla split those features and made Basic Autopilot standard on every new vehicle, with TACC and Autosteer included at no extra cost. Enhanced Autopilot was later dropped in North America as the focus shifted to FSD. For years, Basic Autopilot satisfied many drivers, especially on highways—the group most affected by the change.

FSD Subscriptions Are Climbing

Tesla reported in its Q3 2026 earnings that FSD reached a record 1.74 million subscribers, with more than half on monthly plans. The company also said FSD was included with 75% of all new vehicle orders in North America that quarter.

During Tesla’s Q3 earnings call, an analyst estimated that FSD’s annual recurring revenue is approaching $1 billion, and Tesla confirmed the numbers were correct.

Tesla has begun offering FSD subscriptions in more regions. Once limited to North America, FSD has expanded to markets including South Korea and a growing list of European countries. Each new market adds potential subscribers.

Still a Long Way to Go

Despite record growth, Tesla remains well short of 10 million active subscriptions. Hitting that milestone will likely depend on EU-wide FSD approval, expected to be decided in December, along with additional market launches and continued improvements to FSD.

Removing Basic Autopilot has boosted monthly subscription revenue, but it also removed a lane-centering feature that is increasingly common across the industry.