Ford raises Blue Cruise pricing and confuses everyone

[blazerdude20 220]

“Ford document earlier this month advising that after the BlueCruise trial period ends in a 2023.5 Mustang Mach-E, owners can "subsequently activate the technology through an annual ($800/yr.) or monthly ($75/mo.) subscription." The short story is that many Mach-E shoppers and owners were expecting to pay a renewal price of $600 for three years, or $200 per year. The new pricing means renewal costs either $800 in a lump sum or $900 paid over the course of a year. “
 

 

https://www.autoblog.com/2023/05/19/2023-5-ford-mustang-mach-e-bluecruise-subscription-renewal-gets-huge-price-increase/

[akirby 16,900]

It’s not confusing.  Initial prices are frequently subsidized by the cost of the new vehicle while subsequent renewals are much higher.  Typical marketing tactic as well as changes in the market itself.  Was Ford undercharging relative to the others?

[blazerdude20 220]

19 minutes ago, akirby said:

It’s not confusing.  Initial prices are frequently subsidized by the cost of the new vehicle while subsequent renewals are much higher.  Typical marketing tactic as well as changes in the market itself.  Was Ford undercharging relative to the others?

The issue is that it’s not consistent across trims currently. 

[jasonj80 1,175]

It is very confusing and like everything lately Ford gives no consistent message.  Trucks like mine were built with the hardware and software was added later (Which is a huge disaster)

The First trucks got charged less ($995) for hardware only and then once available you were to have paid $600 for 3 years, now it is Free until the ned of the year.(It keeps getting extended) 

Later trucks had the software included and the price went up ($1595) and it was included for 3 years and then $600 for additional 3 years. Now it is $1995 (Though you get a credit because park assist is N/A) 

At $800/ year the cost is way too high; I use it almost everyday and drive 30K+ miles a year and I wouldn't pay that much money for 1 year of it.  

Edited May 22 by jasonj80

[rmc523 4,431]

These nickel and dime subscription fees are stupid.

[rperez817 1,734]

On 5/20/2023 at 12:55 PM, akirby said:

It’s not confusing.

 

The BlueCruise situation for Mustang Mach-E is very confusing as jasonj80 mentioned. I spoke to my dealership about it, and they found it confusing too. Adding to the complication was the fact that our Mach-E was an early build MY 2021 unit with the Prep Package for BlueCruise. The whole mess is yet another example of Ford corporate being on a completely different page than dealers and customers.

 

To clarify matters, a Ford Motor Company rep issued this statement to Mach-E forum members.

To avoid confusion around BlueCruise subscription pricing we wanted to clarify the pricing details. Ford is changing the way it offers BlueCruise to customers. For new Mustang Mach-E orders made after May 2, BlueCruise is available at the time of order for $2,100 for 3-years. If a customer does not choose to subscribe to BlueCruise at the time of purchase, the vehicle will be delivered with a 90-day complimentary trial.

BlueCruise renewal for Mustang Mach-E, excluding certain model year 2021 vehicles, is $800 per year or $75 per month at the end of any initial subscription or trial period.

BlueCruise renewal for model year 2021 vehicles purchased with the optional BlueCruise Prep Package* is available at a discounted rate of $200 a year for three years or $75 a month at the end of the customer’s initial subscription period. Following this discounted subscription cycle, customers will renew at the standard price.

If you are unsure of what model you have and which offer you are eligible for, you can contact the Ford Customer Service Center at (800) 392-3673.

 

*Model Year 2021 vehicles with the BlueCruise Prep Package known as (Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package) was for the first vehicles that did not ship from the factory with BlueCruise installed and received the software at a later date.

 

[T-dubz 788]

That is hilariously high. Seems like ford is trying to see how many suckers are out there. $75 a month would put this as my 4th highest bill behind mortgage, car payment, and electricity. That is stupid for a subscription service. At most, it should be $10 a month, and honestly I wouldn’t even pay that. I will never pay a subscription fee for features in a vehicle.

[fuzzymoomoo 7,554]

2 hours ago, T-dubz said:

That is hilariously high. Seems like ford is trying to see how many suckers are out there. $75 a month would put this as my 4th highest bill behind mortgage, car payment, and electricity. That is stupid for a subscription service. At most, it should be $10 a month, and honestly I wouldn’t even pay that. I will never pay a subscription fee for features in a vehicle.

It shouldn’t even be a subscription at all….

[akirby 16,900]

Onstar Premium which seems to be required for super cruise is $600/yr and it’s not clear if there is a surcharge for super cruise since it’s not available as a subscription service.

[rperez817 1,734]

3 hours ago, akirby said:

Onstar Premium which seems to be required for super cruise is $600/yr and it’s not clear if there is a surcharge for super cruise since it’s not available as a subscription service.

 

On 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, SuperCruise is a $2,200 option. It includes 3 years of the OnStar SuperCruise Connected Services Plan. After that, retaining SuperCruise functionality requires an eligible paid Connected Services plan, which is currently priced at $25/month.

[fuzzymoomoo 7,554]

$300 a year for a feature you paid for when you bought the damn car.

 

That is unconscionable to me. 100% my next vehicle will be the last new one I ever buy. 

Edited May 23 by fuzzymoomoo

[T-dubz 788]

29 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

$300 a year for a feature you paid for when you bought the damn car.

 

That is unconscionable to me. 100% my next vehicle will be the last new one I ever buy. 

Maybe one day these car companies will learn from the software companies that free software updates are the way to go.

[rperez817 1,734]

10 hours ago, rmc523 said:

These nickel and dime subscription fees are stupid.

 

4 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

It shouldn’t even be a subscription at all….

 

Subscription based features are a key element of the automotive industry's future and can benefit automakers and customers alike when done properly. As mentioned in this Automotive World editorial, successful implementation of subscription business models for car features require clear, effective communication by the automakers. Is this the start of an automotive subscription trend? | Automotive World

 

Clear communication is where Ford missed the mark regarding the Blue Cruise pricing updates mentioned in the original post. Hopefully in the future, Ford does a better job of communicating details to dealers and customers from the onset and won't need to issue subsequent clarifications.

[akirby 16,900]

44 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

$300 a year for a feature you paid for when you bought the damn car.

 

That is unconscionable to me. 100% my next vehicle will be the last new one I ever buy. 

In some cases you’re only paying for the hardware up front but there are ongoing costs to provide the connected services.  E.g cloud servers and software.  The cost to Ford over a 10 year life might be far higher than the current initial cost.  In that case it’s better to charge monthly only if you’re using the service.  
 

Now if it’s standalone non connected hardware I’d agree.

[fuzzymoomoo 7,554]

8 hours ago, akirby said:

In some cases you’re only paying for the hardware up front but there are ongoing costs to provide the connected services.  E.g cloud servers and software.  The cost to Ford over a 10 year life might be far higher than the current initial cost.  In that case it’s better to charge monthly only if you’re using the service.  
 

Now if it’s standalone non connected hardware I’d agree.

Yeah, TBH I don’t want my car connected to the internet at all. Being able to remote start my car from my phone before I ever leave my job station is a great feature but I can most certainly do without it. At that point honestly I would rather just not have the hardware at all and it would be nice if deleting it were an option. 

[fuzzymoomoo 7,554]

8 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

 

Subscription based features are a key element of the automotive industry's future and can benefit automakers and customers alike when done properly. As mentioned in this Automotive World editorial, successful implementation of subscription business models for car features require clear, effective communication by the automakers. Is this the start of an automotive subscription trend? | Automotive World

 

Clear communication is where Ford missed the mark regarding the Blue Cruise pricing updates mentioned in the original post. Hopefully in the future, Ford does a better job of communicating details to dealers and customers from the onset and won't need to issue subsequent clarifications.

You want to charge for real time map updates? Fine, go ahead, I won’t participate when I can get that for free on the myriad phone apps available. Charging a subscription fee for hands free driving or heated seats is just stupid. 

Edited May 23 by fuzzymoomoo

[silvrsvt 4,413]

31 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

You want to charge for real time map updates? Fine, go ahead, I won’t participate when I can get that for free on the myriad phone apps available. Charging a subscription fee for hands free driving or heated seats is just stupid. 

 

But those same "free" apps are collecting data on you as "payment"

 

Charging for heated seats is stupid (unless it was the ability to turn them on if you didn't pay for it up front), and hands free driving has almost no interest from me because drive less then 15-20 miles 95% of the time. 

[jasonj80 1,175]

18 minutes ago, silvrsvt said:

 

But those same "free" apps are collecting data on you as "payment"

To be fair Ford collects a lot of data with all their connected vehicles, so I'm being sold for the data where my truck goes, where my Ford app on my phone is and how long it sits there. I don't have a problem with a smaller fee, but $75/month or $800 is crazy. $200/$300 a year is much more reasonable. 

If 10 people do it at $25/month or $249 / year or 1 person does it at $75 or $800 / year. 

[Chrisgb 202]

17 minutes ago, jasonj80 said:

To be fair Ford collects a lot of data with all their connected vehicles, so I'm being sold for the data where my truck goes, where my Ford app on my phone is and how long it sits there. I don't have a problem with a smaller fee, but $75/month or $800 is crazy. $200/$300 a year is much more reasonable. 

If 10 people do it at $25/month or $249 / year or 1 person does it at $75 or $800 / year. 

I don't agree with the premise of installing equipment as standard and then charging a reasonable fee, whether Ford or a third party, to make it functional, like SiriusXM. If Blue Cruise is offered as a standalone option or part of a package, a fee is acceptable. I can choose to not have it and the other options that may come as a part of its package.

 

For me, $75/mo plus the cost of the BC is too much just to have the ability to hold a jellyroll and a coffee at the same time while driving.

[akirby 16,900]

1 hour ago, Chrisgb said:

I don't agree with the premise of installing equipment as standard and then charging a reasonable fee, whether Ford or a third party, to make it functional, like SiriusXM. If Blue Cruise is offered as a standalone option or part of a package, a fee is acceptable. I can choose to not have it and the other options that may come as a part of its package.

 

For me, $75/mo plus the cost of the BC is too much just to have the ability to hold a jellyroll and a coffee at the same time while driving.

I agree with BC but for SiriusXM a lot of folks decide to subscribe later and it’s not easy to add to an existing vehicle plus the cost of the hardware is probably minimal.

[rperez817 1,734]

1 hour ago, Chrisgb said:

For me, $75/mo plus the cost of the BC is too much just to have the ability to hold a jellyroll and a coffee at the same time while driving.

 

Good point Chrisgb. BlueCruise is one of the better Active Driving Assistance systems in the market, Consumer Reports rated it #1 overall earlier this year. But ultimately, the biggest issue with all of these systems is that they are SAE Level 2, meaning the human in the driver's seat is still responsible for the task of driving.

 

What's really needed is to advance to SAE Level 4 as soon as possible. Ford made some excellent progress on that front about a year ago with its Argo AI robotaxi prototypes in Austin, Texas and Miami, but unfortunately Argo AI was shut down a few months later.

 

[johndeerefarmer 5]

Does Supercruise work without OnStar?

 

 

In order to operate Super Cruise, you must have an active and eligible GMC Connected Services^† plan. Super Cruise vehicles are also connected to OnStar® Emergency Services^†, so Emergency-Certified OnStar Advisors can assist drivers should they become nonresponsive while Super Cruise is active.

 

So Super cruise is $25 month and Connected Vehicle plan appears to be another $25 month= $600 year vs Ford's $800. With these prices you definitely would only want one self driving vehicle per family.

 

[jasonj80 1,175]

2 hours ago, Chrisgb said:

For me, $75/mo plus the cost of the BC is too much just to have the ability to hold a jellyroll and a coffee at the same time while driving.

What's worse is you can't do that, it will yell at you. Basically if you are not actively looking at the road you start to get warnings. The warnings sometimes come if you are even glancing at the IP or info screen to change or check info. I had some stuff in the bed and turned on the bed cam (now not available) and just flipped the camera on. In the time It took me to do that it started giving me warnings to watch the road. Drink to long - warning. 

For $75 it would have to be full self driving where I put a an address and it drives. It also will randomly just cut out on some roads; adaptive cruise shuts off, IP Turns red with no warning and gives a quick tap of the brakes. Like I said for me $249 a year would be okay for how much I use it. Priced higher than that Just give me adaptive cruise and lane centering. (Which you can just flip too with a Forscan change) 

As for it being there and not paying for that - that is almost even new electronic device sold if you want more functionality you pay for it. TVs have apps you have to pay for, phones have additional software to add features, Sirius is in most vehicles, Onstar/Telematics in most other OEM's etc. I might not get heated seats if I live in Florida but if I moved to the north I might want to pay for them to be activated. 

[jasonj80 1,175]

4 minutes ago, johndeerefarmer said:

Does Supercruise work without OnStar?

 

 

In order to operate Super Cruise, you must have an active and eligible GMC Connected Services^† plan. Super Cruise vehicles are also connected to OnStar® Emergency Services^†, so Emergency-Certified OnStar Advisors can assist drivers should they become nonresponsive while Super Cruise is active.

 

So Super cruise is $25 month and Connected Vehicle plan appears to be another $25 month= $600 year vs Ford's $800. With these prices you definitely would only want one self driving vehicle per family.

 

So with the proposed Ford pricing  you are paying 50% more and you get 50% less features.

[johndeerefarmer 5]

2 minutes ago, jasonj80 said:

So with the proposed Ford pricing  you are paying 50% more and you get 50% less features.

Yep.... Doesn't cover as many miles and you can't tow with it.. Ford better get on the stick. I want a new self driving 1 ton in the next few years.