Mercedes locks faster acceleration behind a $1,200 annual paywall

[bnew]

Mercedes is charging $1,200 a year for faster acceleration

Gotta go fast? Best pay up.

www.theverge.com

The German auto manufacturer is the latest company to offer subscription services for features a vehicle was already capable of.​

By JESS WEATHERBED
Nov 23, 2022, 9:24 AM EST|53 Comments / 53 New

Mercedes-EQ EQE and EQ EQS models are eligible for an Acceleration Increase add-on, which boosts performance for a $1,200 yearly subscription. Image: Mercedes


Mercedes is the latest manufacturer to lock auto features behind a subscription fee, with an upcoming “Acceleration Increase” add-on that lets drivers pay to access motor performance their vehicle is already capable of.

The $1,200 yearly subscription improves performance by boosting output from the motors by 20–24 percent, increasing torque, and shaving around 0.8 to 0.9 seconds off 0–60 mph acceleration when in Dynamic drive mode (via The Drive). The subscription doesn’t come with any physical hardware upgrades — instead, it simply unlocks the full capabilities of the vehicle, indicating that Mercedes intentionally limited performance to later sell as an optional extra. Acceleration Increase is only available for the Mercedes-EQ EQE and Mercedes-EQ EQS electric car models.

Auto brands have started restricting built-in vehicle features to later sell as ongoing subscriptions​

As global sales for new cars have fallen in recent years, car manufacturers have pivoted toward selling software updates and features as subscriptions to generate a continuous revenue stream long after a car has been purchased. While this makes sense for certain software-specific offerings (such as premium navigation features or remote vehicle monitoring), Mercedes paywalling its vehicle performance is part of an emerging, more loathsome trend that sees auto brands restricting the capabilities of hardware that already comes factory-equipped with the vehicle.

This comes just months after BMW sparked outrage by similarly charging an $18 monthly subscription in some countries for owners to use the heated seats already installed within its vehicles, just one of many features paywalled by the car manufacturer since 2020. BMW had previously also tried (and failed) to charge its customers $80 a year to access Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — features that other vehicle makers have included for free.

Correction November 23rd, 4:40PM ET: BMW’s CarPlay and Android Auto subscription was going to be $80 per year, not per month, as this story initially stated.

 

[UpAndComing]

Step 1 - Consumers will complain and protest

Step 2- Consumers will eventually give in and pretend the protests never happened

Step 3- Consumers will buy subscriptions to stunt on "broke people who can't pay the subscription"

 

[UberEatsDriver]

Going to have to start building subways everywhere these new car prices lol

 

[UberEatsDriver]

Step 1 - Consumers will complain and protest

Step 2- Consumers will eventually give in

Step 3- Consumers will buy subscriptions to stunt on "broke people who can't pay the subscription"

Stop working a 9-5 and get that “BaG”

 

[BaggerofTea]

Step 1 - Consumers will complain and protest

Step 2- Consumers will eventually give in and pretend the protests never happened

Step 3- Consumers will buy subscriptions to stunt on "broke people who can't pay the subscription"

you sound like a nihilistic communist

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

so what happens when u buy it used? u then would have to contact Mercedes? Seems a headache lol

 

[50CentStan]

Just need 1 person to hack that shyt and we

 

[Collateral]

Looks like me and my 23 year old Lexus will have many more years and miles together

 

[Dafunkdoc_Unlimited]

Step 1 - Consumers will complain and protest

Step 2- Consumers will eventually give in and pretend the protests never happened

Step 3- Consumers will buy subscriptions to stunt on "broke people who can't pay the subscription"

4. Smart consumers will find an app or 'jailbreak' those features and pay nothing.

​

 

[TallMan_J]

Step 1 - Consumers will complain and protest

Step 2- Consumers will eventually give in and pretend the protests never happened

Step 3- Consumers will buy subscriptions to stunt on "broke people who can't pay the subscription"

You’re right, but here’s what a person with sense would do…

Step 1- Buy a real muscle car

Step 2- Enjoy the muscle car that you paid for without having to make “in-game” purchases

 

[Ghetto Denizen]

Late stage captilism brehs where corporations cant innovate and want to make profits appear out of thin air.


People going to be driving cars decades old like the Cubans just to avoid all this subscription bullshyt

 

[Uitomy]

so what happens when u buy it used? u then would have to contact Mercedes? Seems a headache lol

I’m pretty sure they’re trying to avoid that soon, eventually if you buy used the car will just fukking shut off and you’ll have to pay like 5k to unlock it

 

[JordanwiththeWiz]

That’s crazy but I always got a tuner for all my cars.

 

[Umoja]

Something tells me that it should be illegal from a health and safety point of view.

Call it paranoia but I see it as introducing shyt that could go wrong. Technology fukks up and you find yourself not being to stop.

 

[pcpking]

Something tells me that it should be illegal from a health and safety point of view.

Call it paranoia but I see it as introducing shyt that could go wrong. Technology fukks up and you find yourself not being to stop.

It's go happen when people start pirating upgrades and that's going to put the public safety at risk.