Homeowners of Mercedes-EQ EQE and Mercedes-EQ EQS electrical vehicles must pay $1,200 per yr for sooner acceleration

Mercedes-Benz has began charging homeowners of its Mercedes-EQ EQE and Mercedes-EQ EQS electrical vehicles $1,200 per yr for sooner acceleration of their autos. The function doesn’t require any type of bodily improve. The automobile is manufacturing facility outfitted with the potential of this 20-24% efficiency enchancment, however Mercedes-Benz has locked it behind a pay wall.

Subscribers to the “Acceleration Enhance” service will see their 0-60 mph acceleration pace up by 0.8 to 0.9 seconds. The EQE begins at $84,900 and the EQS begins at $104,400 earlier than the annual improve fees.

The automaker is the most recent in a rising line of automobile and truck producers who’re launching subscription-based providers to guard revenues as patrons hold onto their autos for longer intervals of time. Earlier this yr, BMW started charging South Korean prospects $18 a month for heated seats, $10 per thirty days for a heated steering wheel and $8 per thirty days for high-beam-assist headlights, a driver security function.

Whereas automakers appear desperate to make these subscription packages part of the car-buying course of, customers (to this point) have been vocally against them. An April examine from Cox Automotive discovered that three-quarters of customers mentioned they weren’t prepared to pay an annual or month-to-month subscription price for many objects on their new automobile.

“Security and luxury options needs to be a part of the acquisition worth, they mentioned overwhelmingly,” the examine stories. “Particularly, 92% mentioned heated and cooling seats needs to be a part of the acquisition worth; 89% mentioned distant begin needs to be as effectively. Each objects have been mentioned by some automakers as subscription options. As for security options, the response was virtually as overwhelming; 89% mentioned lane-keeping help needs to be a part of the worth and 87% mentioned automated emergency braking needs to be too.”

BMW discovered this first-hand in 2018, when it tried to make Apple CarPlay right into a subscription service (with an $80 per yr price ticket). It scuttled these plans after patrons pushed again.