Ford’s BlueCruise subscription goes up from $200 to $800 per year — a 300% increase!
Many customers were left furious after Ford announced it would now charge Mach-E owners $800 annually (or $75 per month) for its autonomous driving feature. Although Ford’s latest electric SUV just got a price cut, it seems like the manufacturer is heading for a new business model. Of course, it’s not the first time an automaker has tried to recover some profit using subscription services; BMW does the same thing with its heated seats, for instance.
But what do you get from Ford’s yearly $800 subscription? For starters, you will receive fully-functioning basic safety equipment comprising cameras and radar for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems). While the hardware does come standard in 2022 and up on Mach-E models, you’d still have to be a BlueCruise subscriber to access the software controlling these systems, essentially enabling level-two autonomous driving.
Ford’s BlueCruise works by scanning over 130,000 miles of US roadways data. And with complex machine learning, the system can drive your Mustang Mach-E on the motorway for you. According to Consumer Reports, Ford’s highway autonomous driving system would be the best on the market, with an overall system score of 84 — that’s on top of Tesla‘s Full Self-Driving system, the industry pioneer.
Even so, Ford used to charge Mach-E owners only $600 for a three-year subscription — a great deal indeed. But a sudden 300% increase to $800 a year is pretty shocking, leading many to think it might not be that worth it anymore.
That said, newer vehicles delivered after May 2nd will get a 90-day free trial or a $2,100 option good for a three-year BlueCruise subscription. Interestingly, 2021 Mach-E models with BlueCruise Prep Package will be exempted from the annual fee and will benefit from the original $200/year deal, at least for now.
Regardless, the significant price hike may have just killed the enthusiasm of the rest of the Mach-E owners. Some even testified they don’t use the feature very often. Meanwhile, Ford’s strongest rival, GM, has a similar feature called the SuperCruise, which comes free for the first three years and only costs $25 per month to renew — a better deal overall.
Still, only time will tell if Ford’s current strategy will backfire or not. Still, many would agree that BlueCruise’s new price might just be too steep, at least on paper.
