Tesla has taken a significant step towards monetizing its Autopilot technology, but at a cost to some of its customers. The electric vehicle maker announced this week that it will start charging $99 per month for lane-centering feature, Autosteer, on new purchases of the Model 3 and Model Y in the US and Canada. This decision effectively reduces the value of these models.
Lane centering was previously a standard feature, but now it's part of the Full Self-Driving Supervised (FSD) package. The FSD package is now only available to customers who are willing to pay for Autosteer, which adds an additional layer of complexity to the system. This decision comes ahead of FSD's switch to a subscription-only service on February 14.
The move has sparked concerns among some Tesla owners, particularly those in Canada, where Autosteer is no longer available without the $99-per-month subscription. Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has stated that he believes this approach will help the company reach its goal of having 10 million active FSD subscriptions, which is a requirement for him to receive up to $1 trillion.
However, some owners are upset about the change, citing it as an example of Tesla's increasing focus on profit over customer satisfaction. The Basic Autopilot package, which included both Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC), was previously available at no additional cost on new Model 3 and Model Y purchases.
Musk has warned that prices for FSD will increase as the technology improves. This news comes just days before FSD's switch to a subscription-only service, which may further exacerbate concerns among some Tesla owners.
Lane centering was previously a standard feature, but now it's part of the Full Self-Driving Supervised (FSD) package. The FSD package is now only available to customers who are willing to pay for Autosteer, which adds an additional layer of complexity to the system. This decision comes ahead of FSD's switch to a subscription-only service on February 14.
The move has sparked concerns among some Tesla owners, particularly those in Canada, where Autosteer is no longer available without the $99-per-month subscription. Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has stated that he believes this approach will help the company reach its goal of having 10 million active FSD subscriptions, which is a requirement for him to receive up to $1 trillion.
However, some owners are upset about the change, citing it as an example of Tesla's increasing focus on profit over customer satisfaction. The Basic Autopilot package, which included both Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC), was previously available at no additional cost on new Model 3 and Model Y purchases.
Musk has warned that prices for FSD will increase as the technology improves. This news comes just days before FSD's switch to a subscription-only service, which may further exacerbate concerns among some Tesla owners.
not sure about this one... i mean, tesla's always trying to make more cash, but at what cost? i got a model 3 and it's been working fine so far, but now they're charging me extra for lane centering just because they want more subs for that fsd thing. seems like they're prioritizing profits over people 
... charging $99 a month for lane centering on brand new cars? that sounds like a total rip off 
. they used to include it in the price or at least make it standard, now its just another way for them to squeeze more cash out of us customers 
. and what really gets me is that elon musk says he's doing this to reach his 10 million fsd subscriptions goal, like thats a valid reason to screw over customers 
. i mean, cant they just make the technology better instead of making it more expensive? and now its going to be subscription-only in february... just great, another thing for us to worry about with our cars 
. Elon Musk is tryin' to make 1 trillion but some ppl think he's more worried about gettin rich than makin cars 
.
. I mean, isn't Autosteer supposed to be one of those innovative features that makes Tesla's cars stand out from the competition? Now it's just another add-on that you have to pay extra for 
and making the cars even safer on the roads 
. it's all about prioritizing what matters most, right?
. Can't wait to see how this plays out... might be a test case for Elon Musk's trillion-dollar dream 
I get it, they wanna make money from Autopilot tech, but it feels like they're pricing out their loyal customers. I mean, who's gonna shell out $99 a month just for lane centering? 
That'd be a real money-suck for some folks.
. also, whats with the whole fsd package thing? just make it one price or something, no need to make things more complicated than they need to be