The German car-maker says its "optional power upgrade" is designed to give customers more choice.
  • who@feddit.orgEnglish
    121·
    3 hours ago

    I would say that excludes them from my future purchases, but honestly, I’m hoping never to buy a car again. Public transit and bicycling are far cheaper, less polluting, and more sustainable (especially in population centers). Maybe I’ll spend a little of the money I save on an occasional day rental if needed.

  • RejZoR@lemmy.mlEnglish
    28·
    4 hours ago

    Own nothing, pay everything. This bs subscription models for everything need to die. And people who thought about them along with them.

  • bigbabybilly@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    3 hours ago

    Sold my Golf R a while back. Wasn’t planning on buying another VW, but this is the nail in that coffin.

  • alterforlett @lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    3 hours ago

    When I bought my car one of the first brands I decided against was Mercedes due to their subscription model for their electric car.

    VW going for subscription is a surefire way to give Chinese car manufacturers an even bigger part of the market. So, so short sighted

    • chaosCruiser@futurology.todayEnglish
      7·
      4 hours ago

      It’s pretty much inevitable that someone will figure out how to jailbreak that car. When that happens, you could just download an unofficial patch, get rid of those BS restrictions, and unlock the full potential. Might be also wise to disable whatever wireless communication hardware came with the car. Like, disconnect the antenna or whatever.

  • hansolo@lemmy.todayEnglish
    8·
    4 hours ago

    What fools.

    Do this and within 6 weeks there will be a YT video of a guy worth a crazy accent jailbreaking the car’s hidden hp. Probably with a $2 thing you can buy online.

    • JasonDJ@lemmy.zipEnglish
      1·
      14 minutes ago

      Nah you’ll need a $300 VCDS (or rent a legit one somewhere like eBay)…or at least a $20 AliExpress clone and a burner laptop/windows VM to plug it into.

  • Coopr8@kbin.earth
    5·
    3 hours ago

    I’m wondering if this in part has to do with hitting average efficiency targets. By nerfing this car for most users, who won’t really care or notice the difference in urban driving, they carve out more tollerance for lower efficiency in their SUVs/ICE cars while still hitting the average efficiency spec that gives them some government incentives and marketing opportunities. $700/car for a lifetime subscription is not a huge economic motivator in the scheme of things.

    • nucleative@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 hour ago

      I was thinking the issue maybe nuanced like this as well.

      It’s also possible that a higher performance significantly increases wear and tear and to keep the warranty activated Volkswagen trades a bit more cash in return for unlocking some of the limitations.

      That being said I didn’t read the article so don’t really know. And I really hate the idea of paying subscriptions for things we already own, especially because it feels like we don’t own anything anymore.