Mercedes-Benz Wants You to Purchase Options Digitally After Your Car Leaves the Factory
Daimler is updating its “Mercedes me” app to include on-board purchases via a virtual store, available across the globe. With the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class, B-Class and GLE, customers can even order some optional equipment online after purchasing their vehicle. According to the manufacturer, customers can subsequently purchase digital radio, smartphone integration with Apple Carplay or Android Auto, and enhanced navigation. Think of it like downloadable content (DLC) in video games or new apps for your phone, only for your car’s MBUX infotainment system.
While it’s handy to have the ability to add optional equipment remotely, we’re always hesitant to praise anything that monetizes digital content. DLC and microtransactions have really pitted the gaming community against publishers, resulting in some pretty heinous schemes to nickel and dime the customer base. Now, the trend has moved beyond the borders of that industry and into the automotive sector.
Fortunately, it appears the upgraded “Mercedes me” doesn’t have the same gamification as Honda’s Dream Drive or the rampant corporate partnerships we’ve seen with General Motors’ Marketplace app. But it lays some of the groundwork while offering new services that are poised to become commonplace in the industry. Tesla already offers over-the-air updates on its vehicles. Mercedes’ announcement is basically the same, but allows you to pay for optional extras à la carte.
The automaker claims the addition should help resale values. However, we’re not entirely sure how that would work, as it also provides customers an opportunity to further customize their car, even if they’re buying it secondhand.
From Mercedes-Benz:
The required optional equipment [can be] activated via the Mercedes me Store in the head unit or online with a few clicks. This is particularly attractive in cases where the customer has forgotten to order an option ex factory. However, it is also a good opportunity for second or third owners to adapt the vehicle to their own wishes.
This also benefits markets where dealers order vehicles with equipment packages (build-to-stock), as well as the used vehicle sector and “young classics”.
Obviously, extras purchased online are limited to MBUX. You can’t get a bigger engine or all-wheel drive, which limits Mercedes me’s scope and any complaints we might have had. That rather cursory assessment is unlikely to change unless the automaker begins withholding options, or perhaps makes buying them via the app significantly more expensive than checking applicable boxes on an order form.
[Images: Daimler AG]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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This reminds me of the Wrangler YJ fuel tank. Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Wranglers came stock with a 15 gallon fuel tank, but you could pay extra for an optional 20 gallon tank. I’ve never cared enough to look up how much that option cost. Well, it turns out every YJ came with a 20 gallon tank. All they did when you paid for the upgrade was change the filler tube that goes from the inlet down into the tank from a long one (about 12”) to a shorter one, which changed when the fuel pump at the gas station registered that your tank was full. I performed this “upgrade” myself about 3 months after buying my ‘94 YJ and very much enjoyed the extra 90-ish miles I could drive between fill-ups. This ain't new.
with all that my remote "START" function still does not work the answer from MBNA "we are working on it " get the basics done first ....