Mr. Kashi has experience in both worlds. He worked at Ford for 14 years before moving to Silicon Valley, and he has been at Mentor since April.

Established automakers take a more conservative view of new technology and tend to have their own engineers refine and test it until it works as intended. The companies also typically hold clinics where they watch customers try new technologies to make sure it is easy to use and to discover how some might misuse it.

“Sometimes, maybe, they are too careful,” Mr. Kashi said. “That’s something I didn’t like at” at Ford.

Mr. Kashi said he was impressed by how quickly Tesla was able to speed ahead with Autopilot. Still, he said that while the “negative press” Tesla has received over the Florida accident focused on “customer misuse” of Autopilot, it also shows the need to make sure customers understand the technology’s limitations.

Tesla warns drivers that Autopilot is not meant to be a fully autonomous system. When Autopilot is activated, the dashboard screen and audio alerts remind drivers to remain engaged and keep their hands on the steering wheel.

But many Tesla owners, including Mr. Brown, the driver killed in Florida, have posted videos on YouTube showing it is possible to go several minutes without looking at the road or holding the wheel.

Mercedes-Benz has just introduced a semiautomated driver-assist system in the new 2017 E-Class sedan that is similar to Autopilot but forces drivers to have their hands on the wheel more frequently. On an open highway, with few cars on the road, the system, Drive Pilot, might allow hands-free driving for up to a minute, said Bart Herring, general manager of product management at Mercedes-Benz USA. But in traffic, it sets off alarms after only a few seconds.