Photo: Jon Rettinger
The price of electric vehicles (EVs) isn’t considered affordable yet by the standards of most consumers, and some buyers have actually switched which EV they’re buying due to price markups on other models.
@Jon Rettinger purchased a Lucid Air after being informed of a $50,000 price markup for a Mercedes Benz EQS 580, for which he already had a reservation. The EQS all-electric sedan starts from $119,110 USD for the Premium Trim, while the top of the line Pinnacle Trim starts at $125,310 USD.
“Due to a worldwide shortage, semiconductor chips that are typically present in our vehicles are limited in supply. This has changed the availability of certain features. Vehicle pricing will vary and depends on the availability of certain features. Please verify with your dealer whether any feature is available in a particular vehicle. To learn more, please see your dealer,” explains the Mercedes-Benz USA website.
In the tweet, Rettinger went on to say “Infer what you will about the dealer model protecting consumers,” referring to the dealer model practiced by Mercedes and other legacy automakers.
Here's a story. I was originally going to get a @MercedesBenzUSA EQS 580. Even had one reserved and ready for pickup. The dealer called to inform me there was a $50k (not a typo) markup on the car. I passed. Infer what you will about the dealer model protecting consumers. https://t.co/XIbzdzB5CX
— Jon Rettinger (@Jon4Lakers) December 29, 2021
Tesla uses an online order configurator for sales, rather than doing so through a larger dealer network that can adjust pricing to what it sees fit based on market demand.
Just a few weeks ago, Ford dealerships told customers they were marking up F-150 Lightning prices by as much as $30,000 for the first 25 orders of the unit, while still marking them up $10,000 for other customers.
While Tesla remains the most dominant EV company in the world, for the time being, a recent review of the Lucid Air called it a “major Tesla rival.”
In addition, the Lucid Air garnered Motortrend’s 2022 Car of the Year award, just months after delivering the first units of the electric sedan.
