Volkswagen Is Turning Engine Performance into a Subscription Upgrade

Breitbart ^ | 19 Aug 2025 | Lucas Nolan

[packagingguy]

Volkswagen is now offering owners of its ID.3 EV hatchback the option to boost their car’s performance — for a monthly subscription fee. Instead of following the traditional model of offering improved performance through upgraded components, VW has locked its car’s true potential behind a software subscription.

Auto Express reports that German automaker Volkswagen has introduced a subscription-based model for unlocking the full potential of its ID.3 electric car, a new model available in the UK. While the ID.3 Pro and Pro S models are listed on the configurator as producing 201 horsepower, buyers must pay a monthly subscription fee of £16.50 ($22.29) to access the car’s maximum output of 228 horsepower.

This subscription, which comes after a one-month free trial, is nearly three times the cost of a standard Netflix subscription with ads. Owners can also opt for a lifetime subscription priced at £649 ($877), which remains tied to the vehicle even if it is sold.

Volkswagen states that the performance upgrade increases the net power by 27 horsepower and the maximum torque from 265Nm to 310Nm without affecting the car’s range. As the ID.3 is registered at 228 horsepower from the factory, owners are not required to inform their insurance company about the upgrade.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: subscription; volkswagen

[Made In The USA]

Ah, the value proposition there would be:

1) You could test configurations before buying, or subsequent to it.

2) You could purchase a vehicle at a lower price point if you chose not to take advantage of the upgrade.

3) Resell value could potentially be higher, as the base model is already configurable to a different level of performance or value. Or conversely, buying a vehicle that could be optioned for modest performance for a teenage driver.

That said… I’m still stuck the notion that the vehicle drivetrains are identical, just a software configuration is the difference. The precedent is in the marketplace today for drivers to have different driving modes (it will likely seem counterintuitive to suggest paying more). The eagerness for subscription revenue also seems cheesy.

I think some consumers will find a way to hack it for free. My son races two VW’s in autocross. Along with performance parts, he plugs his laptop into the OBD port and adjusts parameters to better suit his needs. Tuning vehicles today includes software, it’s the norm.

[packrat35]

The warranty ought to be part of the car price. I remember when you got 5 year warranties. Now they are 3 or less sometimes.

[Tymesup]

This is similar to what I think they do with calculators. The chip does all the functions. The keys do what the consumer paid for.

40 years ago, a coworker found he could do square roots even though there was no such key on his calculator by pressing three keys simultaneously. I’ve always wondered what he was doing when he found this.

[Tymesup]

We pay income taxes on a subscription model. If we paid once a year on April 15th, heads might roll. Same for social security taxes.

[fuzzylogic]

:) I bet they were counting on nobody finding out that logic combination of the HW translating to something that would activate a SW function.

There’s many variants of the same approach. Intel Corp would sell 486DX chips as cheaper 486SX chips if the math co-processor didn’t function correctly, vs toss them as they were doing prior.

[Chickensoup]

Toyota is stupid enough to have a subsc tied to use of their hands free phones which is the law in many states

[Colorado Doug]

VW and Audi have gone so far downhill. It seems that you can’t drive one of their cars for a solid week without getting some kind of trouble code. I used to really like both but this should put the final nail in their coffin. Don’t they think they are special? Screw them.

[Colorado Doug]

You have to be willing to say no.

I wish more people would do that. Office 2007 worked just fine (and it still does) why did everyone buy into the 365 scam? Same with Photoshop. CS5 works just dandy and I don't pay a subscription nor will I. And if you get a document or spreadsheet from me it will not have been composed on 365.

[Colorado Doug]

If a customer wants more power, they only have to upgrade via a software purchase.

Or better yet, they will just buy another product. There will always be a competitor that is hungry for that business.

[minnesota_bound]

#38 You can buy a copy with a one time purchase for $35. I bought Microsoft Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 - en-us thru Groupon online earlier this year in August. No rental.
Uninstall older version, restart pc. Install new Office 2024 then restart the pc.

Office 2024 Professional Plus - Lifetime Use for One PC
https://tinyurl.com/3wh7ba5e

You can buy Windows 10 or 11 for about $35 too online at Walmart. Do not install Bitlocker. If it fails you lose your files.
https://www.walmart.com/browse/electronics/microsoft-software/3944_1089430_7288037_4918466

[minnesota_bound]

#27 Boeing to customer: For a small fee we will include in the manual the how to use the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) in the 737 max 8.
For an additional higher fee we will include two angle-of-attack sensors that will only activate in specific situations and won’t override pilot input.

[EVO X]

The standard warranty is 4 years or 50K miles. Other than rotating the tires, I shouldn’t have any other out of pocket expenses for the first three years since I don’t put a lot miles on my cars. I get 3 free oil changes, once a year or ~10K miles. Then after that, it should be changing other fluids..

[caddie]

Wow thank you. Next task is undoing my subscriptions to these pirates.

[fuzzylogic]

Sure, and these upgrade options, the original price, upgrade price, is all factored into what the competition is doing.

[1Old Pro]

They’re still built here...

Some