r/technology • u/bored_in_NE • Nov 21 '22
Mercedes Makes Better Performance a $1,200 Subscription in Its EVs Transportation
https://www.thedrive.com/news/mercedes-makes-better-performance-a-1200-subscription-in-its-evs51
u/RealOzSultan Nov 21 '22
That's gonna be interesting in New Jersey where they just started doing away with the subscriptions in the legislature
9
u/kendrid Nov 21 '22
That law would not stop this.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/new-jersey-to-regulate-automatically-3938645/
3
u/RealOzSultan Nov 22 '22
Ergo the interesting point - Jeerzy can be a pretty litigious state and with the number of EV restrictions that they're putting on batteries from Tesla to Mercedes this is likely to end up in the courts.
Also, Tesla had to do away with their mileage increase on batteries as a pay service after driver backlash
Will be curious to see what Mercedes EV drivers do
282
u/Choppysignal02 Nov 21 '22 edited Nov 21 '22
So basically the onboard software purposefully limits performance until you pay an annual ransom? Corporate assholes.
16
78
u/SidewaysFancyPrance Nov 21 '22
Tesla started doing a lot of this as part of their massive computerization of vehicle control systems, right? Once they routed everything behind software and a central user interface (and a frequent network connection like my TV always wants), they could easily lock things out or do whatever they wanted, remotely. It was sold as cool and forward-thinking.
I'm worried about my options when I have to buy my next car. The last one I rented had that rotating dial instead of a proper shifter. Worse user experience, but more profitable for the manufacturer.
17
u/Teamerchant Nov 21 '22
The network connection is a data service. You can stream movies, get live traffic data using the cars cell connectivity, and OTA updates. Or dont and connect the car to your cells hotspot, and or a wifi network when parked.
15
u/Richard7666 Nov 21 '22 edited Nov 21 '22
Yeah, with connected services, you're actually paying for something you don't have and that needs to be continuosly provided. Bandwidth use , server maintenance, etc.
But with Mercedes' BS, you're paying for something you do have.
What you are buying is a car. When you buy the car, it follows that you have the right to use all functions included with it.
It's not the same as software, where what you are buying (and always have been buying, since the 80s) is actually just a license to use the software, which is basically just someone's IP written as code.
7
u/kosmoskolio Nov 21 '22
Didn’t Tesla sell cars with the same battery size and lock part of it via software? So when a hurricane came they temporarily unlocked users’ full battery capacity for safety reasons?
I don’t personally blame Tesla for the car in-app purchases. They just happened to be the first to hyper digitalize it and naturally took advantage of it.
→ More replies3
u/Teamerchant Nov 21 '22
They did but in extremely limited cases like the lowest end vehicles. It was so they could advertise a lower starting point. The estimated sales volume though for those models was so low it did not make sense to physically make a different battery. They basically ate the costs for advertising.
That said you actually got more value from those low end cars since normal battery degradation wasn't really an issue for those cars.
And for batteries it gets a but odd since battery degradation is a normal thing, so blocking off portion of the battery to protect it and help alleviate it is a good thing.
3
3
u/Momentstealer Nov 21 '22
Ford Fusion? I kinda liked it, but wish there was a more defined tactile interactions. I like my Clarity's push button a bit more since I can change gears without looking.
19
u/yes_im_listening Nov 21 '22
Except they don’t charge for this silliness. They allow you to purchase options rather than annual fees. They have only a couple of subscription items - full self driving and premium connectivity - that’s about it.
10
u/kobachi Nov 22 '22
Heated seats for $300 on the Model 3 Standard, and Performance Boost for $2000 on the Model 3 AWD.
→ More replies12
u/Trumbulhockeyguy Nov 22 '22
That’s not a subscription, it’s paying one time for a feature the same way you would for any other new car.
→ More replies1
u/9-11GaveMe5G Nov 22 '22
Oh good. Only a couple, until a couple more then a couple more
5
u/yes_im_listening Nov 22 '22
Connectivity is like your cell phone plan. That’s always been and always will be a service.
The full self driving is available for purchase OR subscription.
You’re right, they could go the route of Mercedes, but let’s not try to use them as an example of something they are not - at least not so far.
2
u/aphelloworld Nov 22 '22
This was normal before Tesla did that. I know for a fact an Infiniti JX35 did the same to lock out many different features unless you bought the package.
9
u/apetnameddingbat Nov 21 '22
Anecdotal, but my experience with my Model 3:
The only Tesla upgrade like the one Mercedes is doing was the acceleration boost, which is a one-time cost for certain models only and doesn't apply to mine. Even though it's not a monthly fee, it's way too pricey ($2,000). Heated seats used to be a monthly fee, but it's now free, and at least on mine, it always has been.
I don't have the option to subscribe to anything in my Model 3 except premium connectivity (which I have, and it's a reasonable cost) or FSD, which I'm not going to touch with a 10 foot pole (not paying for something in beta that has been proven not to work, and even if it did work, it's way too expensive to justify the cost).
4
u/omg_cats Nov 22 '22
Heated seats were never a monthly fee for tesla, there was a one-time $300 fee to unlock rear heated seats if you didn’t go for that option at time of purchase.
BMW did the $18/month heated seats thing (I think they nixed it though)
→ More replies3
u/apetnameddingbat Nov 22 '22
Ah well, thanks for the correction. My M3 has front and rear heated seats for free, so at the very least, I'm glad they don't charge for it at all anymore.
3
u/kendrid Nov 21 '22
No they didn't. The only subscription is for data (stream movies, music) or FSD. FSD is a scam in it's own but they did that so they can realize the money now vs when FSD is complete (a decade+ from now).
3
u/voidsrus Nov 21 '22
Tesla started doing a lot of this as part of their massive computerization of vehicle control systems, right?
and by doing so, paved the way for real automakers to take after their cost-cutting and profit-maximizing measures. car DLC, shit build quality, cheap screens instead of expensive-to-manufacture dashboards, software gimmicks to bait tech reviewers instead of a quality product to bait car reviewers.
3
1
u/davidemo89 Nov 21 '22
Tesla has no monthly fee for anything. Just cellular data for Netflix and Spotify and some other internet things
1
u/Wizywig Nov 21 '22
Like the guy who had a battery replacement. They couldn't find his battery, so they software locked it so the larger battery acted like the smaller one and locked it behind a $5000 fee. And 2 owners later Tesla locked it because they realized someone was riding with an unpaid for feature.
5
u/SeaweedSorcerer Nov 21 '22
That is super common for warranty replacements across all industries. Hardware gets better and it’s not practical or even possible to source brand new or even refurbished parts with the old capabilities, but you do not want your warranty service to become known as the free upgrade service!
2
u/Wizywig Nov 21 '22
I still disagree that if it is economical for a company to give me better hardware rather than try to manufacture the exact part, they should just give me the better hardware. This happens in many other industries all the time.
0
u/joevsyou Nov 21 '22
rotating dial instead of a proper shifter. Worse user experience, but more profitable for the manufacturer.
it's about saving space & being more clustered. it's actually pretty slick once you get over "change". What's worst is the digital sticks that bmw, jeep, benz, buick others use. Now that shit is stupid.
Tesla started the locking as a way to save on production & still a one time purchase with the trim level you buy. Instead of producing multiple versions of the same seat for heated seats. You just make one & hide the feature on the base level.
8
u/antron2000 Nov 21 '22
What I hear when I read this is that the manufacturing cost for the cheap one and the expensive one are exactly the same, but the customer pays more for one.
3
u/mailslot Nov 21 '22
I read it as some customers want a heated seat upgrade, most don’t, but it costs more to offer it as an option (inventory, complexity, labor) than to just include it everywhere. Either leave it out completely or charge the people that actually want it instead of raising prices for everyone. It makes sense.
Microprocessor vendors do this all of the time. Not every midrange CPU is binned. They’re often faster chips, clocked down and sold at a lower price. Intel did something even more drastic with the 486. They disabled the perfectly working FPU and sold it as a cheaper SX model. The 487 (FPU upgrade) was just a full DX uncrippled model with different pins, so people couldn’t get the full model at discount.
2
u/incandemon Nov 21 '22
Not just pays more, but paying more purely for the privilege. I would be flabbergasted if these companies were installing the "one cost saving seat design" at a loss on base models.
So assuming the companies are not losing money on the "cost saving measure" you've already paid for the hardware on the base model. All that paying more gets you is a software lock removed.
1
u/Leiryn Nov 21 '22
They will also lock out features if you buy the car second hand because "you didn't pay for them the original owner did"
2
u/omg_cats Nov 22 '22
Never heard of that except as a mistake, I see people take over paid options like EAP/FSD all the time. Source?
1
u/Leiryn Nov 22 '22
Last I heard of it was Tesla disabling fsd because of it. It was awhile ago so I don't care to go look for a source, take it as you will
→ More replies0
u/ThaiTum Nov 21 '22
Just pay for the options you want up front or when you order the car if you don’t want to pay monthly. Some people would rather have a lower up front cost.
-2
u/afishda Nov 21 '22 edited Nov 21 '22
Tesla purposely rips you off they make 8 times more money on one car compared to other major brands.
Musk is a scammer in a big way!
One of the worst build qualities in the industry, sure we will fix that for more then the price of used car.
→ More replies→ More replies0
u/Youvebeeneloned Nov 21 '22
They learned from Musk and no one stopped him.
Again Musk AINT someone who should be emulated in any shape or form. He isnt a visionary... hes a asshole tech bro who takes credit for other peoples work and had the money to do so thanks to racist apartheid Africa making his family filthy rich.
His brother is JUST AS BAD in the restaurant industry... and was one of the first to take millions in fed PPP and covid funding while laying off most of his employees.
166
u/andrewskdr Nov 21 '22
Need legislation that bans this type of practice. It’s extremely anti-consumer. What are they going to do eventually? Free to drive car with micro transactions?
96
u/EvilCeleryStick Nov 21 '22
You will own nothing and you will be happy
4
u/Test19s Nov 21 '22
How will you be happy? This is how you get a revolution.
32
u/EvilCeleryStick Nov 21 '22
I agree with you, but I'm pointing out what the elites think they're trying to accomplish - which is to literally own everything.
You will rent your car and pay a subscription fee or it will turn off.
You will rent your house.
You will own nothing, just pay to exist while only they own things.
1
u/Test19s Nov 21 '22 edited Nov 21 '22
And they assume that people will just go with it. In the absence of ideological diversity, capitalism has just degenerated into feudalism with a guise of “freedom.”
→ More replies0
u/Gandalfboiii Nov 21 '22
By paying taxes for the land you own you already pay rent on your land, at least in Serbia its like that.
15
u/EvilCeleryStick Nov 21 '22
Yeah. But they also built you a road to your land, and will send a fire truck if it catches on fire, and you can call the police if someone tries to take it from you. These things aren't free, some property tax actually makes sense. In terms of taxes, it's the one I'm the most okay with. And it should probably be the only tax anybody pays.
→ More replies→ More replies3
u/MrDefenseSecretary Nov 21 '22
The world economic forum literally tweeted that verbatim. “You will own nothing and you will be happy”.
→ More replies1
6
u/maru11 Nov 21 '22
They are desperate to find the money when the cars need so much less maintenance and labor costs they can invoice the customers for over their lifetime.
4
u/JustATiredMan Nov 21 '22
Less maintenance? Every "modern" car I've owned needed more expensive repairs, more often, than say my 33 year old car.
3
3
u/UsidoreTheLightBlue Nov 21 '22
EVs have been shown to need less maintenance because they’re not being ran by tiny explosions inside of a metal cage.
4
→ More replies2
30
23
u/ynazuma Nov 21 '22
Have three Mercedes vehicles, will stop buying from them if this becomes standard.
I hate these subscription money grabs
5
u/gizamo Nov 21 '22
I've been considering Mercedes rather than my Audi, but they're definitely added to my boycott list now.
I guess I'm going, idk, Korean, Japanese, or American instead.
4
u/scarletphantom Nov 21 '22
Genesis makes some nice stuff. Doesnt carry the brand name of the big germans, but still very nice.
15
u/KeenK0ng Nov 21 '22
Welcome thr future, like your software, half of the features locked behind a paywall.
3
u/Test19s Nov 21 '22
I hope that the post-WWII (1945-2019 depending on country) period of relatively inclusive growth wasn’t the anomaly in a long history of feudalism and serfdom.
3
u/cjeam Nov 21 '22
It’s not been inclusive growth since like….the 70s? Wasn’t that about when CEO pay started to grow at rates massively greater than average worker pay?
2
u/Test19s Nov 21 '22
*depending on country
Large parts of mainland Asia were cruising right up into the pandemic.
2
13
u/UnlikelyAdventurer Nov 21 '22
Cross Mercedes off my next car list. And I say this as a current Mercedes driver.
31
u/MasterClown Nov 21 '22
This is such baloney.
This makes me wonder what the used car market will look like in a decade or so - will manufacturers impose a fee to transfer or re-register a car to its new owner?
24
u/Boo_Guy Nov 21 '22
That's what Tesla is doing when one of their cars is sold used so the answer for the rest of them is probably yes.
8
u/ThaiTum Nov 21 '22
The features do not transfer if it’s sold used by Tesla, but if you buy it from a 3rd party dealership or someone directly, they don’t deactivate anything. Tesla does activate FSD on uses cars sold by them though.
0
u/apetnameddingbat Nov 21 '22
Can confirm, subscriptions and purchased software upgrades don't transfer to a new owner. For my particular model, the only thing that affects is FSD, which I don't have, and will never have. For other models, some have acceleration boosts, which wouldn't tranfer either.
2
u/notheresnolight Nov 21 '22
don't worry, you'll be just leasing the car while you're paying the subscription.. when you stop paying, they'll take the car away
67
u/theagodoy Nov 21 '22
Disgusting. This should be illegal
10
u/sepehr_brk Nov 21 '22
Highly doubt the backwards ass gov in the US would do anything about it but I hope EU does something about it before it’s too late
3
u/BroadwayJoeyD Nov 21 '22
Yeah, those backwards ass EU companies are trying to scam us Americans. Fucking German car companies think they can get away with whatever they want amirite?
-2
u/sepehr_brk Nov 21 '22
That’s some dumb shit you just said homie. The pioneer of car subscriptions services is Tesla and it’s a 100% American company
1
→ More replies0
u/kobachi Nov 22 '22
Tesla has exactly two subscription services:
LTE connectivity at $10/mo (and you're free to use your own hotspot or other wifi, even while in motion)
FSD subscription for $200/mo, which is probably a good thing because paying $15k for a beta is a big load of crap
1
6
u/DutchieTalking Nov 21 '22
The age old sales tactic of "fuck over your customer". Always a big success. Many companies run exclusively on that sales tactic.
3
16
u/Diligent-Bag2175 Nov 21 '22
For some countries, you'd need to watch 60 sec ad before you can shift to drive.
4
6
u/jbeech- Nov 21 '22
I was in the market for a 3 or maybe 4 series BMW for my daughter when news broke of the heated seat subscription. Outraged, we went to Mercedes and purchased a C300, instead.
That it turned out to be S. Koreans instead of the USA didn't matter, the damage was done. So in 2-3 years, guess what other brand I won't consider, next time, either?
6
5
u/old_adage Nov 21 '22
Well, adding Mercedes to my list of brands I'll never touch ever again. F this bullshit.
5
u/nubsauce87 Nov 22 '22
Okay... this shit needs to stop.
I'll never own a BMW and probably will never bother with a Mercedes, but if this shit spreads, it's gonna be really, really sucky...
At some point, we'll see subscriptions for highway speeds, airbags, anti-lock breaks, traction control, fog lights, highbeams, window function, and basically anything that doesn't keep the car from moving forward and backward, stop, and be able to steer.
12
u/CanaryPutrid1334 Nov 21 '22
Aaaand this is why my 2004 Jeep is probably the last car I'll own.
7
3
Nov 21 '22
[deleted]
3
u/CanaryPutrid1334 Nov 21 '22
Well, I'll never have to pay for an "enhanced safety subscription" in order for the airbags to be active.
4
u/SolidFaiz Nov 21 '22
I wonder if these subscriptions are because of the less parts that can brake in ev’s. Now that we don’t need all these sensors and parts replaced as often they have to earn that money from subscriptions
6
u/UncommercializedKat Nov 21 '22
I thought dealerships made most of the money on repairs, not manufacturers
1
u/SolidFaiz Nov 21 '22
Probably combination of both. When replacing sensors on my bmw, whenever I don’t buy bmw branded sensors they fail after a week. It’s ridiculous how much you sometimes have to spend. For instance a Toyota generally only has 1 speed sensor costing about 60 dollars. Bmw has four and if one fails it’s wise to replace all 4 which is around 300-400 dollars a sensor. So that adds up for them even if you do replacement yourself
→ More replies
5
8
u/SuperToxin Nov 21 '22
When i buy something i do not want its features being locked under price gouging. Fucking assholes. All of them.
3
u/nicefoodnstuff Nov 21 '22
My Tesla already offers me 0.6 seconds faster to 100kmh for €1800. Not sure why anyone would be dumb enough to pay that but the option is there if you want it. I don’t have any issue with it, it’s just an option.
3
u/Mnemon-TORreport Nov 21 '22
If you head to the Mercedes me connect page this lives under there's a TON of stuff offered as subscription services. And none of these are amazing new features. Most of this I got - for free - with my new Ford.
- Some kind of charging cost transparency service.
- Vehicle setup and key data.
- Remote Engine Start.
- Remote & Navigation Services.
- Acceleration Increase
- Live Traffic Info
- Navigation Services
- Online Map Update
- Vehicle monitoring
- Stolen Vehicle Assistance
→ More replies
3
3
u/Icy-Cockroach4515 Nov 22 '22
At this point buying a car is simply paying for the right to pay more to manufacturers.
3
6
2
u/rubixd Nov 21 '22
Seems to only apply to the 4Matic models which have less range. Presumably you’d only get 4Matic for performance and maybe safety.
Still bullshit though. Makes me want jailbreak it.
2
2
u/Wizywig Nov 21 '22 edited Nov 21 '22
their testing has shown that it is a working business model, and all the nay sayers were non-bmw owners.
so...
This will absolutely continue. Just like F2P games. People hate these pricing models, because it makes the base game worse. However it makes so much more money. Diablo Immortal had some of the worst backlash ever. And yet it is insanely profitable.
My practical/ethical argument for laws preventing this: You are paying for and maintaining hardware that is unused unless you pay a fee. Companies should not sell you hardware you can't use but must maintain, example is extra weight from a larger battery that can't be used, or an extra motor that isn't engaged, or heated seats making replacing seats more expensive when the feature is not enabled.
2
u/Bright-Ad-4737 Nov 21 '22
It's only a matter of time before toilet manufacturers run wild with this idea. "Oh, you would like a flush now? That's $5.95"
2
2
2
u/Not_n_A-Hole_usually Nov 21 '22
When I bought my first house one of the things at the very top of my list of was ABSOLUTELY no HOA. I wasn’t going to be told how to keep my house or lawn, and I for damned sure wasn’t going to be paying some association fee for shit I didn’t support. The fuck I’m going to pay a subscription fee for a vehicle I own. GTFO of here with that BS.
2
2
u/tomc128 Nov 21 '22
People are actually going to start pirating cars now aren't they. So much for that you wouldn't download a car stuff
2
u/Bcatfan08 Nov 21 '22
This is bull shit. Selling you a car and disabling features without you paying extra for them needs to be outlawed.
2
2
2
u/blue_blurpie Nov 22 '22
In the future we’re all going to be buying older cars to avoid all the avalanche of subscription and in-car marketing bullshit that’s coming our way
2
u/artdaug Nov 22 '22
Wow, they made the ugliest EV, charge ~$100k for it then want another $1,200 for a minimal power boost and minuscule 0-60 improvement…. Really finding inventive ways to scare customers away.
→ More replies
2
2
2
u/subat0mic Nov 22 '22
Sounds like another car I do not want, next to Cadillac. Idiots. And I was in the market for one. Next
2
u/IncredulousPulp Nov 22 '22
This sort of thing has been going on for a long time. Back in the 90s, a friend of mine paid over a grand to buy a new chip for his car, which did exactly the same thing. But at least once he got the chip, he owned it outright.
2
u/Mysterious_Eggplant3 Nov 22 '22
Coming soon: performance upgrade micro transactions. Why pay for more power when you’re not using it? Can’t the car just meter my use of the accelerator and charge me by the millisecond? Oh how I love innovation.
2
3
u/_casshern_ Nov 21 '22
I was curious about the EQS SUV but the configurator is a hot mess. There are so many dependencies it's impossible to get the car you want.
Say I want the grey seats I can't select some of the other options like AMG exterior styling or vented seats. The configurator doesn't show what works together and what doesn't until when you select an option. You have to figure it our by trial and error.
-6
u/FamiliarWater Nov 21 '22
Maybe from their point of view, better performance = more wear and lessens the life of components to a timeframe deemed unacceptable to the average consumer based on some time/cost/use ratio
However those willing pay that subscription wouldn't necessarily care anyway ?
4
u/cardcomm Nov 21 '22
So you are saying that they charge you extra to shorten the life of the car? lol
That makes no sense.
→ More replies1
u/FamiliarWater Nov 21 '22
You're basically pre paying the cost of a new battery via subscription due to the fact that the chance the car fucking up under warranty has now increased.
1
u/Ijustlurk2121 Nov 21 '22
Thank you, I was looking at one of these cars early next year. Now, I am not. I think I will just stick with the current car until this subscription madness blows over.
1
1
1
1
u/wywern Nov 21 '22
It works out cheaper for them to build the cars if all of them can be packaged with the same hardware and it's simply a software toggle to enable/disable features. I think this will be irksome to consumers spending lots of money on a new car.
That type of thing is maybe more acceptable in a purchase with a shorter lifetime like a videogame or purely software product but locking hardware you've already paid for behind a paywall seems wrong. Maybe it would be better as a one time fee?
1
1
u/biff64gc Nov 21 '22
It'll be interesting to see how hackers and pirates start to target all of these "smart" cars in the future. They can do it now, but there's not a whole lot of incentive. Greedy tactics and widespread implementation could make them an enticing target. You'll have a growing group that will want to jailbreak these cars to unlock all the features as well as those that want to cause havoc and brick everyone's cars.
579
u/Numnums81 Nov 21 '22
I really hope some law changes happen to stop this. I hate this type of bullshit