If you thought you were drowning in unnecessary subscriptions closer to home, you just haven’t visited the UK. It is reported that Volkswagen (VW) is adding to the avalanche by charging certain owners a monthly fee to unlock the full potential of their EV. And no, we haven’t been duped by The Onion.
Giving pay-to-drive a whole new meaning
We’re not just talking about paywalling your car’s seatwarmers for R250/m, which itself was a brazen attempt to gouge BMW customers a smidge further before it was discontinued. The news, coming from AutoExpress, reckons VW really is charging its ID.3 Pro and Pro S owners a massive £16.50/m (∼R400/m) to reach 228bhp. Tell VW to go and stuff it, and you’ll be capped at 201bhp. That’s £198 (∼R4,700) a year, by the way.
VW might not be charging for “additional” range on its EVs (yet), but it is also kneecapping the ID.3’s torque, dropping to 265Nm from 310Nm if you aren’t willing to pay monthly tribute.
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If you’re an even bigger sucker, VW will allow customers to make a one-time payment of £649 to unlock the feature forever. Interestingly, this one-time payment isn’t tied to the individual, meaning the car can be resold with the full 228 horsepower and 310Nm attached. It might also mean that those who upgrade to another vehicle with the subscription costs will be forced to pay it again.
We don’t see VW’s plans progressing far before it’s scrapped, however. For one thing, customers will avoid the models (ID.3 Pro and Pro S) that feature artificial caps. For another, it’s only a matter of time before some computer nerd breaches the system and enables these features’ full potential without giving VW a cent.
