- Volkswagen offers an “optional energy update for a rate” in two cars
- Performance update increases power by 27 hp
- Subscription packages have previously attracted the criticisms of buyers
Volkswagen will make customers pay an additional rate to unlock the full power of ID 3 Pro and ID3 pro s models that have been revealed, with £ 16.50 (around £ 22 / au $ 34) per month required to obtain access to the complete 228 hp of the vehicle.
Auto Express discovered that both models were listed as producing 150kw or 201 horsepower in the company’s United Kingdom configurator, with the small printing revealing that the owners could only access the complete factory capacity of 228HP (170kw) through an “optional energy update for a fee”.
Buyers can choose to pay monthly, in which case the vehicle would return to its lowest energy configuration when it is sold, or separate with £ 649 (about $ 880 / Au $ 1,350) for a unique life rate that stays with the vehicle.
In a statement provided to Auto Express, a Volkswagen spokesman said that offering more energy to customers is not “new” and that those who seek to buy an ID 3 can choose to have a “more sporty driving experience” without having to commit to a more expensive vehicle from the beginning.
Volkswagen is not the first or unique manufacturer to offer additional performance that can be unlocked by a rate, since the Polestar Engineering Optimization Program can improve the power delivery of the Polestar and Volvo models.
Essentially, the software update ‘returns to maps’ the engine, modifies the accelerator response and improves the speed of automatic equipment changes for a more aggressive unit, but does it without the risk of annulling the manufacturer’s guarantee.
Preparing for a future based on subscriptions
Unlocking some additional performance is nothing new, since there are hundreds of after -sales companies that will make fun of some horses more than one engine if you are willing to cancel your manufacturer’s guarantee.
That said, we are entering a new era of the defined software vehicle where there are now several updates and improvements available in a simple air update.
Tesla allows its customers to take advantage of their highly autonomous driving modes for a rate, for example, while Polestar offers performance updates in Polestar 2 models.
Many experts in the industry with which I have talked openly admit that offering digital and physical characteristics through a subscription presents a lucrative commercial case to manufacturers who seek to recover the losses of the TEPIDA sales of EV and guarantee future profitability.
But the approach has not dropped well with the sectors of the public he pays, since BMW generated strong criticism when he asked its clients to pay an additional fee for features such as heating seats.
The company said it would allow owners to take advantage of only technology when necessary (for example, in the depths of winter), but customers demanded access to a feature that they considered that it should have been part of the list price.
While unlocking a little additional performance at the request sounds as fun, some buyers will distrust car manufacturers they charge a recurring rate for the characteristics that would have previously been standard (or a unique optional payment) in a new vehicle.
It could also be the case that paying a small rate every month to unlock a feature becomes more expensive than it was when customers could choose it directly, with increases in incremental prices in the style of Netflix, which makes motoring is more expensive than it should be.
