Of course, Mercedes-Benz will allow owners of some vehicles to unlock the extra power after purchase… for an annual fee.
In the US, its owner electric balance sedans and SUVs and EQS liftback and SUVs can now pay US1200 per year (~$A2000) to shorten their 100 km/h sprint time to one second with software.
Mercedes-Benz Australia has “no announcement” as to whether it will offer similar subscriptions locally. For now, it only offers the EQS Down Under upgrade, though EQE sedans and EQE/SQS SUVs are on track to launch in 2023.
Power in the EQE 350 4MATIC increased from 215kW to 260kW, while the EQS 450 4MATIC increased 55kW to 330kW.
The so-called Accelerated subscription is listed with the following explanation on the North American store:
“Tweaking the electric motor increases the maximum engine output of your Mercedes-EQ by 20 to 24 percent.”
‘Torque is also increased, allowing your vehicle to accelerate faster and with more power.
Mercedes-Benz isn’t the only brand looking to switch to monthly or annual payments from its customers.
BMW will offer a monthly, annual or perpetual payment to activate heated seats on its X1 sDrive18i SUV in Australia and has previously made owners pay an ongoing fee for Apple CarPlay.
Toyota also offers subscriptions in Australia, but instead of hardware features, owners will have to pay to maintain access to its connected services.
