Toronto, Ontario — As the Canadian auto industry takes a few measured steps forward in the fight for the right to repair, a major OEM is responding with a big leap backward, as reports indicate that the full capabilities of the electric motors on Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming EQ lineup will be locked behind a paywall.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that the German automaker intends on charging customers a $1,200 annual fee to fully unlock the potential of the upcoming EV sedan’s motor.
On Mercedes’ website explaining the new subscription package, the company claims that “Fine tuning of the electric motors increases the maximum motor output of your Mercedes-EQ by 20 to 24 percent.” This translates to a zero-to-sixty time that is slightly less than one second faster than EQ sedans without the “Acceleration Increase” package.
This recent intrusion from Mercedes into the property of its customers marks the second time this year a German automaker has attempted to put financial barriers in front of features that have already been paid for, as BMW faced criticism in July for locking certain functions like heated seats behind a paywall.
According to Bloomberg, Mercedes plans on offering the Acceleration Increase subscription to drivers of the EQS sedan and EQS SUV models as well as some of its EQE sedan and EQE SUV models.
On the collision repair side of things, what are some features that technicians work on that could be vulnerable to OEM paywalling? Power doors? Adaptive headlights? Infotainment systems? Let us know in the comments below.
