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Tesla bumps price of Autopilot post-delivery

Tesla Model 3 dashboard in Autopilot testing with IIHS [CREDIT: IIHS]
After removing its former Full Self-Driving Mode feature, Tesla is doubling down on selling Enhanced Autopilot.

In a new software rollout, the company has temporarily enabled Enhanced Autopilot on all the cars that have the hardware to run it in a 14-day free trial that chief executive officer Elon Musk announced in April at the company's annual shareholders meeting. The free trials started rolling out in August.

Starting on Friday, users who got the 14-day free trial were offered a “reduced price” of $5,500 on the cars' center display screens.

READ THIS: Consumer Reports tests Tesla's Navigate on Autopilot

Owners who don't take Tesla up on the offer face a new, increased price of $7,000 to turn on the system later: Users have until a week after their trial expires to sign up for Autopilot before the price goes up.

Last Friday, Tesla's website also started showing the price change for after-purchase activation of Enhanced Autopilot to $7,000.

The previous price to activate Autopilot for buyers who didn't purchase it up front was $6,000. The regular price for customers who order it with their cars is $5,000.

2017 Tesla Model S testing at Consumer Reports

It's a ploy that smacks of late-night QVC ads on TV and Presidents' Day sales at car dealerships. Act now!

The company previously used the same tactic with its Full-Self Driving Mode option, which has never been fully developed. Now that that option has been excised and rolled into Enhanced Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot has taken on the mantel of Tesla's automated self-driving system.

DON'T MISS: Tesla removes Full Self Driving option from website for all models

The most recent customers to get the free Autopilot trial also got Tesla's latest self-driving feature, Navigate on Autopilot, which will allow the car to merge into traffic from an on-ramp, take interchanges and exit off-ramps automatically using directions from the navigation system, as long as a destination is set. Musk originally referred to this as “on-ramp to off-ramp” self-driving capability.

Without Autopilot, all Tesla models come standard with automatic emergency braking, which will apply the brakes fully if the car encounters an obstacle, to stop if the car isn't traveling too fast or at least slow down significantly if it is.

CHECK OUT: Tesla raises price of full self-driving option–if you wait for it to work before buying

Enhanced Autopilot adds active lane control and adaptive cruise control which will keep pace with a leading car even if that car is driving slower than the speed limit. Now it also includes Navigate on Autopilot, Autopark, and Summon, which will allow drivers to control the car remotely at low speeds in parking lots.

Early tests of Navigate on Autopilot, as well as experiences of some drivers who have had accidents relying on earlier versions of Enhanced Autopilot to drive the car, show that the system is not fully self-driving, but Musk has said that it will improve as Teslas log more miles driving with the system.

The new Autopilot system is available on all three Tesla models.

  New Auto Safety Technologies Push Repair Bills Up 2 Nov

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GM is going to allow Ford vehicles and other competitors on its Maven car-sharing platform

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VW, Mercedes-Benz agree to fix diesels in Germany

Mercedes-Benz GLS350d spotted testing near Denver
Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have each agreed to spend up to $3,430 to update each of the older diesel cars they sold in Germany with new emissions systems that comply with regulations, Reuters reported Thursday.

The German agreement mirrors one in the U.S. in which Volkswagen paid owners between $5,000 and $10,000 in addition to the cost of repairing or buying back their cars. (The company is still in the process of returning the repaired older diesels back to the market in the U.S.)

A similar U.S. claim against Mercedes has been filed, dismissed, and refiled, but has not yet been adjudicated.

DON'T MISS: Mercedes-Benz gets its own diesel emission cheating questions now

Like the American Volkswagen settlement, the awards are designed to compensate diesel owners for added depreciation of their cars and give them money toward a down payment on a cleaner replacement car.

In Europe, the emissions issue has taken on more urgency because some cities have banned driving older diesel cars in city limits. Those include Frankfurt, Cologne, and Bonn, the latter two of which were required to institute such bans by next April according to a court order that came on Thursday.

READ THIS: Why Did Volkswagen Cheat On Diesel Emissions In Its TDI Cars? (2015)

“Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW will make sure their customers can remain mobile,” German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer told reporters at a conference in Germany on Thursday.

Scheuer has been pushing German automakers to spend more to retrofit older diesels to keep them on the road. Mercedes-Benz and VW will pay for the cost of retrofitting the cars, although BMW has still refused to do so, Scheuer said.

Last month, German prosecutors fined Volkswagen's luxury brand Audi $927 million after finding documents and emails exchanged between the automaker, its Mercedes-Benz rivals, and Germany auto parts supplier Bosch that the prosecutors allege showed collusion among the automakers to cheat emissions regulations.

Electric pickup trucks are not in GM’s plans for the next couple decades, says exec

Electric propulsion is rapidly taking over many segments of ground transportation and pickup trucks, which are the biggest profit centers for American automakers, are expected to be next. Yet, the GM executive in charge of global strategy says that electric pickup trucks are not in the company’s plans. Mike Abelson, GM’s vice president of global strategy,… Continue reading Electric pickup trucks are not in GM’s plans for the next couple decades, says exec

Tesla ends free Supercharger credit program for Model S and Model X

As Tesla transitions from free Supercharging to a paid model, it looks like the automaker is still trying to tune its approach. The company has now ended its free Supercharger credit program for Model S and Model X vehicles. When Tesla first introduced its paid model for the Supercharger network almost two years ago, it eased… Continue reading Tesla ends free Supercharger credit program for Model S and Model X