{"id":19305,"date":"2022-11-28T15:14:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T15:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/11\/28\/mercedes-puts-faster-acceleration-behind-a-subscription-paywall\/"},"modified":"2022-11-28T15:14:39","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T15:14:39","slug":"mercedes-puts-faster-acceleration-behind-a-subscription-paywall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/11\/28\/mercedes-puts-faster-acceleration-behind-a-subscription-paywall\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercedes Puts Faster Acceleration Behind A Subscription Paywall"},"content":{"rendered":"

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from the working-windshield-wipers-for-$50-extra-a-month<\/i> dept<\/h3>\n

Back in July, BMW raised a bit of a ruckus when the company announced<\/a> that it would be making heated seats a luxury option for an additional $18 per month. Now, Mercedes aims to take the concept one step further by announcing that buyers of the company\u2019s new Mercedes EQ\u00a0<\/a>electric models will need to pay a $1,200 (plus taxes and fees) yearly subscription to unlock the vehicles\u2019 full performance. <\/p>\n

The Drive<\/a> points to Mercedes\u2019 online store<\/a>, where they note that buyers of the vehicle will need pay a monthly subscription to unlock an \u201cacceleration increase\u201d:<\/p>\n

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According to Mercedes, the yearly fee increases the maximum horsepower and torque of the car, while also increasing overall performance. Acceleration from 0-60 mph is said to improve by 0.8-1.0 seconds and the overall characteristics of the electric motors are supposed to change as well. The extra performance is unlocked by selecting the Dynamic drive mode.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As with BMW\u2019s vision, you\u2019ll likely see a lot of folks with more disposable income than common sense lauding this sort of stuff as pricing and technological innovation, largely because they want to justify their desire to pay a giant company extra for what they perceive as additional status. <\/p>\n

The problem: you\u2019re buying a vehicle with this technology (whether it\u2019s faster acceleration or heated seats) already in the car. The cost of that technology is always going to be wound into the existing car\u2019s price one way or another, as no manufacturer is going to take a bath on the retail price.<\/p>\n

So you\u2019re effectively paying for technology you already own<\/strong> to be turned on. Then, over time as subscription costs add up over the life of the vehicle you (and other later owners) own, you\u2019re are paying significantly more money for that technology than what it\u2019s worth (see: paying Comcast thousands of dollars in rental fees for a modem that costs them $50). <\/p>\n

The need for quarter over quarter returns at any cost<\/strong> opens the door to rampant nickel-and-diming in the future, putting customers on an endless treadmill where paying to turn on technology you already own is constantly getting more expensive in a way that\u2019s just completely untethered to real-world costs. <\/p>\n

These subscription services also create an arms race with hackers and modders, with the right to repair (something you already own) debate waiting in the periphery. And the FTC is watching companies like a hawk, waiting to see if auto makers make simply enabling something you already own\u00a0a warranty violation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nFiled Under: automotive<\/a>, cars<\/a>, electric cars<\/a>, ftc<\/a>, hardware<\/a>, heated seats<\/a>, ownership<\/a>, right to repair<\/a>, subscription service<\/a>, warranty<\/a>
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Companies: mercedes<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n