Rather than relying on a one-time sale of a car or parts to repair them later down the road, brands have figured out that they can instead continue to rake in money once a car leaves the lot by offering up subscriptions.
Now driver-assistance tech is becoming the latest way to push monthly payments onto consumers. The problem: Consumers have subscription fatigue. Everything today feels like it’s a recurring cost—Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, your weekly meal boxes, toothbrushes.
However, automakers are betting that when true autonomy arrives — the kind where you can take your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, and liability off of your mind — consumers will be willing to shell out quite a bit of dough every month for the luxury.
