Tesla has reintroduced the ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ option – offering a cheaper alternative to the ‘Full Self-Driving’ package for existing owners.
Over the last few years, Tesla has changed its Autopilot options and pricing so many times, it has been hard to follow.
Finally, the automaker ended up making the Autopilot’s Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control standard on its vehicles and bundled the rest of the features into its ‘Full Self-Driving package’ (FSD).
The automaker started selling the FSD package for $5,000 and it has gradually increased the price to now $8,000 – following an update earlier this summer.
It is leaving Tesla owners with limited and expensive choices.
Now Tesla has reintroduced the option of an Enhanced Autopilot package for $4,000 – breaking down some of the features previously only available in the ‘Full Self-Driving’ package:
It’s the same Enhanced Autopilot package that Tesla used to offer and includes all the features that don’t require the automaker’s latest onboard self-driving computer.
Owners who decide to buy the more expensive ‘Full Self-Driving’ package will also receive a computer upgrade, which can be booked through Tesla’s app.
Interestingly, people who buy the Enhanced Autopilot package now see the price of the ‘Full Self-Driving’ package upgrade at $5,000 – making the latter $1,000 cheaper if bought directly.
Electrek’s Take
I would assume that with the latest price increases to the ‘Full Self-Driving’ package, it is becoming harder for Tesla to sell the package.
The cheaper option will convince more people to upgrade at no cost to Tesla since they won’t need to upgrade their computers.
I got my computer upgrade last week and it can’t be cheap for the automaker to deliver:
On top of the cost of the actual computer, the technician told me that it can take anywhere between 1 hour if all goes well to 5 hours.
In my case, it took about 2 hours to replace the computer.
If Tesla can convince owners to pay $4,000 for features that don’t require the new computer, it will be very profitable to them.
And of course, it comes at the end of the quarter, where Tesla could always use more money to help make a profit.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
