For an annual subscription of $1,200 before taxes, Mercedes will allow some of its cars to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h a second faster, the auto giant has announced. The news comes after rival BMW offered a paid subscription feature earlier this year for heated seats.
Mercedes has confirmed to BBC News that it currently has no plans to introduce “speed boosts and faster cars” in Europe, only in the United States.
The service will be available for purchase abroad for Mercedes-EQ EQE 350 and EQS 450 vehicles, as well as their SUV versions.
According to Mercedes’ US online store, the feature increases “the car’s engine power electronically, through torque.
The increase in engine power will be between 20 and 24%, allowing the Mercedes-EQ 350 SUV to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds, compared to 6.2 seconds without the subscription .
The drive to make more money from subscription services is worrying, according to many auto experts, who believe the trend could lead to consumer churn.
In December 2021, Toyota announced it would charge some drivers $8 a month to remotely start their cars using a key fob.
In 2019, Tesla introduced “Acceleration Boost,” which makes its Model 3 cars go from 0 to 62 mph half a second faster for a one-time fee of $2,000.
