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Tesla just objectively decreased the value of the Model 3 and Model Y. On Thursday, the company said it’s paywalling its lane-centering feature, Autosteer, for new purchases of the two EVs in the US and Canada. This was previously a standard feature. Lane centering is now part of the Full Self-Driving Supervised (FSD) package, which costs $99 per month.
Speculating on why Tesla would do this doesn’t require much imagination. Remember the pay package Tesla shareholders approved for Musk in November? One of his requirements for receiving up to $1 trillion is reaching 10 million active FSD subscriptions.
One of Musk’s stipulations for receiving $1 trillion is reaching 10 million active FSD subscriptions. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) (ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
As for the details, Tesla killed the Basic Autopilot feature that was standard on the Model 3 and Model Y. That package included both Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC). Now, the latter will remain a standard feature, but Autosteer now requires that $99-per-month FSD subscription. The change applies only to new purchases, not existing owners.
The move comes ahead of FSD’s switch to a subscription-only service. After February 14, you’ll no longer be able to buy the package for a one-time $8,000 upfront fee. If you want FSD (or just lane centering) from now on, your annual cost will be $1,188.
Making matters worse, Musk warned that FSD won’t remain at $99 monthly forever. “I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve,” the Tesla CEO posted on X. He didn’t indicate when that might happen or what the increase would be.
