Mercedes $1200 Acceleration Boost Subscription

[LCIDdreams]

$1,200 per year for a subscription to boost 0-60 times. This subscription thing is going to get out of hand quickly I feel.

 

[DRWHO42]

Pass!
I do not agree with the nickel and dime approach to features and capabilities.

Efforts can be put to better use to allow us to control the speed limit on youth and valet drivers of our cars to increase safety.

 

[Tesla2.0]

BMW charges high beam assist
£160 / year

Nickel and dime business, just cheesy brand!
People who want to drive country side better pay up more than city people.

 

[Steveinarizona]

Car makers used to claim that to increase HP, they had to make changes to pistons, etc. to handle the extra HP. This is merely a software change. I wonder how long before tuners figure out how to get in and do it themselves. At least the BMW example has not travelled across the pond.

This whole 0-60 thing gets to me. I doubt very many EQ owners track their vehicles. If they are not, then extra boost is totally unnecessary on public roads. To me, passing boost is much more important.

 

[MScott]

I got a guy for that

 

[HC_79]

$1200 a year for a software hack that unleashes some more power from the motors already in the car.......gtfo.

 

[EVCar]

Just logged into my account and didn't see this notice.

 

[Tesla2.0]

Not much diffferent concept from “FSD is getting better by end of year. It is going $15,000. Better get in before it goes up.”

 

[PAbuilt]

This type of thing is personally infuriating and hopefully US buyers will not stand for it. The idea that (with no physical changes to the car you have purchased, and no doubt had additional dealer mark ups on) they can charge addition regular fees to ”switch on’ additional HP is silly. Accept this as routine and why not then just announce MB will start decreasing car performance each year unless you pay an increasing amount that they will decide upon each year.

 

[Slam08]

This is similar to what tuning companies have offering for years to Porsche, Audi, BMW etc. Remember ECU unlocking? It was all software as well

My issue with this is the yearly subsciption. Normally with the tuning companies you keep the tune indefinitely. But I bet they would charge yearly if they could.

 

[LucidNC]

Unbelievable.

My sister bought a brand new Toyota Highlander and they wanted to charge her a subscription for remote start. The crazy part is that this isn't a "mobile app enabled function", but rather the subscription would allow her to use the button on the key fob.

That is nuts! Obviously, as a software company "guy", I always look for the opportunity to charge for a subscription service (= increase recurring revenue), BUT a subscription should imply that either the product is leased/rented (= not owned) in some way OR that the service provides support (that is otherwise not available) and that the product/service will at some point be enhanced/improved (by adding features, etc.). Unlike some function in a smartphone, the remote start that my sister was asked to pay for is neither of those .. everything you need is already in the car and in the fob; both of which you already own and will not be improved upon. .... CRAZY!

Unfortunately, the whole automotive experience is about to change and not all of the changes are good. Subscription pricing, like EVs, are here to stay. I just hope that these changes are applied evenly and with customer value at the core.

 

[idiot900]

Might this increase the covered-under-warranty hardware failure rate?

 

[MikeTz]

It's an option. Don't like it? don't get it. I personally don't agree with it but I see no problem if someone want's it.

 

[Ned]

It's an option. Don't like it? don't get it. I personally don't agree with it but I see no problem if someone want's it.

Suppose someone gets (for example) the remote start. Then the remote starter fails during the subscription. Who pays?

 

[Ned]

It's an option. Don't like it? don't get it. I personally don't agree with it but I see no problem if someone want's it.

You can't "not get it." You must pay for it when you buy the car. It just needs to be switched on. Remember - all buyers are paying for the hardware.

 

[3rdMotor]

Not much diffferent concept from “FSD is getting better by end of year. It is going $15,000. Better get in before it goes up.”

I’d pay $15K for Tesla FSD in its current state. I’ve been driving with the 10.69.3.1 beta and it’s incredible. I’d say it’s now worth $15K more than the $7K it cost in my 2020 MS Performance. With how much improvement it’s had in a relatively short amount of time, but especially the last year, I have no qualms with them increasing the price.

 

[Mawashi Geri]

Unbelievable.

My sister bought a brand new Toyota Highlander and they wanted to charge her a subscription for remote start. The crazy part is that this isn't a "mobile app enabled function", but rather the subscription would allow her to use the button on the key fob.

That is nuts! Obviously, as a software company "guy", I always look for the opportunity to charge for a subscription service (= increase recurring revenue), BUT a subscription should imply that either the product is leased/rented (= not owned) in some way OR that the service provides support (that is otherwise not available) and that the product/service will at some point be enhanced/improved (by adding features, etc.). Unlike some function in a smartphone, the remote start that my sister was asked to pay for is neither of those .. everything you need is already in the car and in the fob; both of which you already own and will not be improved upon. .... CRAZY!

Unfortunately, the whole automotive experience is about to change and not all of the changes are good. Subscription pricing, like EVs, are here to stay. I just hope that these changes are applied evenly and with customer value at the core.

Same with Hyundai. They give you all the freebies and then get you hooked. They expire after two years and you have the option of purchasing the services on a monthly or annual basis. They break them into three subgroups that will cost the owner a bit of money. Not bad prices but I did not purchase any of them just out of principle. I do however miss the autostart and some of the other functions that I lost. Gotta pay if you want to play. Personally i think it is flawed business model.

 

[3rdMotor]

Same with Hyundai. They give you all the freebies and then get you hooked. They expire after two years and you have the option of purchasing the services on a monthly or annual basis. They break them into three subgroups that will cost the owner a bit of money. Not bad prices but I did not purchase any of them just out of principle. I do however miss the autostart and some of the other functions that I lost. Gotta pay if you want to play. Personally i think it is flawed business model.

I had a 2013 Elantra GT (just their hatchback, there was nothing GT about it lol) and had to subscribe to their Hyundai Bluelink service for remote start. Problem was, their service sucked. You’d remote start and semi frequently it wouldn’t work. Maybe it’s better now, but it was super annoying. Made me really miss having a regular key fob remote start, but was also frustrating to be subscribed to a seemingly simple feature set and have it not perform with no recourse from Hyundai.

 

[HC_79]

Audi started this a while back also. It's the next best thing for them try and get post sale revenue

https://media.audiusa.com/en-us/releases/476

" In e-tron and e-tron Sportback Premium models, the Light Function Package provides an a la carte option for complementary lighting, including:

• Turning light: Lateral illumination when turning; triggered when the turn signal is activated
• Dynamic cornering light: Illumination when cornering; follows steering wheel movement
• Maneuvering light: Illuminates maneuvering area laterally in front when reversing

The Light Function Package is available for a one-time purchase of $259.99 for the lifetime of the vehicle in which it is purchased."

 

[joec]

I’d pay $15K for Tesla FSD in its current state. I’ve been driving with the 10.69.3.1 beta and it’s incredible. I’d say it’s now worth $15K more than the $7K it cost in my 2020 MS Performance. With how much improvement it’s had in a relatively short amount of time, but especially the last year, I have no qualms with them increasing the price.

To each their own. I wouldn't pay $5 for FSD again at this point. I would pay $2-3k for a "dumb" cruise control that maintained a constant speed, just so I could actually take a road trip without my car phantom braking every ten minutes.