So far there’s subscriptions for cruise control, adaptive beams, various navigation options, apple/google integration and my favorite, dual-zone climate.

  • @IsThisAnAI
    link
    English
    -3911 months ago

    A fifth of users in the US rent the car itself via lease mechanisms. You aren’t the target.

    Assuming there are discounts the folks leasing will use these options.

    • misterdoctor
      link
      English
      2611 months ago

      Why are you all over this thread shilling for a predatory subscription model by a multibillion dollar corporation? Very strange behavior.

      • @IsThisAnAI
        link
        English
        -21
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        Because this thread is an echo chamber. I know pointing out the target use case is very problematic and odd. I’ll be quite and you all can continue to ignore that a fifth of buyers rent the entire vehicle for 3 years and haven’t been doing it for 50.

        • misterdoctor
          link
          English
          1711 months ago

          I’m not even saying you’re wrong necessarily, but it’s just very weird behavior to take this aggressive of a pro-corporate stance on something I think everyone should agree is a shitty, unnecessary practice. Regardless of the use case, locking features behind a paywall is always a shitty thing for a multibillion dollar company to do.

          • @IsThisAnAI
            link
            English
            -18
            edit-2
            11 months ago

            People like the option. It’s not weird at all to believe that having different options for owning, leading, and renting allows more access to the vehicle and products. The original comment is about limiting how I pay for a car. Leasing+ subscription works for many customers.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              1611 months ago

              People like the option to have already installed equipment just not work if they don’t pay the subscription? Like the car already has the features and the company is saying “we included this equipment in the price of your lease/purchase already but if you’d like to use it you have to keep paying more.”

              Even in the case of a lease, this is just anti-consumer bullshit

              • @IsThisAnAI
                link
                English
                -611 months ago

                With BMW and Toyota it was cheaper to sub for 3 years than purchase outright. Yes, that’s an attractive option.

            • Encrypt-Keeper
              link
              English
              611 months ago

              A leased car with those options 5 years ago didn’t cost you a subscription, and now they will. You want the option to what? Pay more for something that you didn’t have to before?

              • @IsThisAnAI
                link
                English
                -211 months ago

                Again, on both the Toyota and BMW, it was less expensive than purchasing the options. You did pay for them before. They were never free.

                • Encrypt-Keeper
                  link
                  English
                  5
                  edit-2
                  11 months ago

                  Not true. Just think about what you’re saying for five seconds and you’ll realize how absurd it is. If you buy a BMW or a Toyota that has an available heated seat subscription for example, whether you pay for it or not, they installed the heated seats. it doesn’t cost BMW or Toyota a cent for you to use your heated seats, it costs them to install them. You really think that you haven’t already paid for those heated seats that they’ve already installed in the car? are you seriously suggesting that these companies are going to to sell you these cars with heated seats in them without charging you for them? That if you choose not to pay for the heated seats, they’re just going to eat that cost? Get real.

                  • @IsThisAnAI
                    link
                    English
                    -2
                    edit-2
                    11 months ago

                    It is far cheaper to produce a single trim with most of the features. Customization costs money. There is a reason Porsches are expensive.

                    Multiple seat types is literally buildings and lines they need to construct. It’s a similar scales of economy concept like binning chips. Instead of multiple lines.

    • @asbestos
      link
      English
      1211 months ago

      You’re worth blocking

      • @IsThisAnAI
        link
        English
        -1011 months ago

        I’m so fucking sorry I pointed out the reality of people purchasing these cars. I’ll promise to never point out any data to you again if you just don’t block me!

        • @vinyl
          link
          English
          111 months ago

          You haven’t provided any data, just you talking.

            • @vinyl
              link
              English
              111 months ago

              No why would I need to buy a new car when my current one is fine

              • @IsThisAnAI
                link
                English
                111 months ago

                Then as stated, you are not the fucking customer here. Not sure why that’s so hard to accept.

                • @vinyl
                  link
                  English
                  111 months ago

                  Customer of what lmao, you lost me

                  • @IsThisAnAI
                    link
                    English
                    111 months ago

                    Clearly. My og comment.

                    A fifth of users in the US rent the car itself via lease mechanisms. You aren’t the target. Assuming there are discounts the folks leasing will use these options.

            • @vinyl
              link
              English
              111 months ago

              This is trash I have to register and by the looks of it pay just to view the “statistics”.

              • @IsThisAnAI
                link
                English
                1
                edit-2
                11 months ago

                You think they are lying? Jesus dude look on any dealership website and count the number of 3 year old cpo’s. This isn’t some exotic loan. It’s extremely common and you can find lease offers at literally every brand and dealership.

                Edit : you might be viewing it via your lemmy client and so it’s triggering a login. I had no issues getting to it but I see what you mean.

    • @QuaternionsRock
      link
      English
      1011 months ago

      A fifth

      Surely their target would be the four fifths, then?

      • @IsThisAnAI
        link
        English
        -611 months ago

        Have they excluded that audience? As far as I know you can still purchase the vehicle or feature instead of lease.

        • @QuaternionsRock
          link
          English
          2
          edit-2
          11 months ago

          Only by upgrading to the MMI navigation system do you get access to the app store. From there, Audi forces you into add-ons like adaptive cruise control or Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for a one-month, six-month, one-year, or three-year subscription. Or you can just purchase any of those features permanently—although Audi doesn’t say for how much.

          Sounds like you’re right, but people are still right to be wary of this scheme, as the additional market segmentation will likely push up the cost of buying the feature outright. Audi is incentivized to push as many people toward the subscription model as possible to decrease the value of used vehicles.

          • @IsThisAnAI
            link
            English
            -111 months ago

            I will worry when it happens. The car market is very competitive and vehicle reliability, safety, and feature set has improved significantly in the last 15 years.