The tech world has seen a significant change when subscriptions dawned among users, and now, it is also apparent in automotive companies as Ford unveiled that its BlueCruise would only be available under this. However, this also means that Ford's autonomous driving technology would also come as a standard for all its cars.
That being said, users would have to subscribe to access these features from the company, unlike before that they had to purchase it pre-release of the car to enjoy the self-driving tech.
Ford BlueCruise Now Accessible via Subscription Only
(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Ford announced via its press release that it is expanding the BlueCruise self-driving technology for users, but this is through a subscription that is offered at different rates depending on the time at which they need it.
It is now available either on a monthly, annual, or a 3-year period, setting the users for a subscription for as low as $75 per month.
The annual rate comes in at $800, a discounted rate for the year which should have been at $850. On the other hand, its three-year subscription would set users to $2,100, instead of $2,700.
"We believe in this technology and how it can help transform the highway driving experience and want to allow more customers to try it and provide flexibility for them to activate it when they want to use it," said Ashley Lambrix, Head of Commercial Acceleration - Ford Model e.
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Ford's Autonomous Driving Tech Comes Standard
Apart from being under a subscription, the Ford BlueCruise will now come in as a standard feature that will come from the Dearborn-based automotive giant for its future releases.
Its initial global target is 225,000 cars with BlueCruise, but in this new plan, the company is looking to deliver as many as 500,000 annual units that come with the autonomous driving tech.
Tesla's FSD is also Under Subscription
The only other car company that has offered its self-driving technology to be under a subscription is Tesla, and it was first revealed back in 2020 that the company will be having it under monthly payments. This decision by the company faced significant questions from users, especially as initially, it was available to be purchased entirely for lifetime ownership.
Elon Musk previously claimed that buying is better than renting the self-driving capabilities of Tesla EVs, and has revealed this before via a tweet amidst an FSD upgrade.
However, this contradicts its subscriptions, one that was required by the company for those who want to use the FSD for their cars, and since clarified this to the public.
Now, the automotive rival of Tesla in the industry is introducing a new subscription service for their vehicles, and this is with the BlueCruise by Ford.
The subscription may be cheaper compared to Tesla, with Ford offering it at $75 monthly, but this still means that users need to pay extra to get the autonomous driving feature.
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