Mercedes Benz plans to charge owners of its upcoming line of pricey electric cars a subscription fee of $1,200 a year to boost their ability to accelerate quickly, according to a report.
The subscription package, designed for Mercedes’ upcoming EQ all-electric models, resembles Tesla’s “Ludacris mode” introduced in 2016, which gives drivers an acceleration boost for a one-time fee of $10,000.
The move comes just months after BMW sparked outrage over trying to charge a monthly fee for heated seats, marking what could be the onset of an auto industry trend towards paid subscriptions for features that drivers have long considered standard.
Car magazine The Drive first spotted an “Acceleration Increase” subscription package marked as coming soon on Mercedes’ website. The package offers a 0-60 acceleration increase of up to one second, as well as improved torque and engine output for all EQ models.
The package will only cost car owners the equivalent of $100 a month.
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