That was my thought initially, too. $500 or more for maybe 1 year per child. Granted, most parents who buy 30 or 35 pound-rated seats only use them for a year and then go to a rear-facing convertible anyway, so maybe we will see that limit raised, even if the size is barely enough to meet the requirements. Also, the price tag may be shocking, but it's a different time. Lots of parents in urban areas shell out bigger bucks for a stroller for their new baby, if only for the brand name, so why not a carseat? You know the celebs will clamor for the priciest model, and perhaps the affluent will follow their lead, as they do for other kinds of gear?
People used to be shocked when infant seats, often used for only a year per child, started to sell for even $200. One great model, the Britax Baby Safe, offered innovative features like pivoting, rigid LATCH and a load leg. Most scoffed at the $300 price tag. It didn't last on the market for very long. But that was 8 years ago. Now, models like the Cybex Aton and Nuna Pipa seem to be much more well received, even at the higher priced end of the market.
Maybe there is room for the 4MOMS seat, too? I wonder how many you have to sell to break even on such a technological marvel, especially after having to give them to celebrities and media to create the necessary buzz? Special Needs seats come up against this hurdle all the time, and that's a big part of why many seem outrageously expensive compared to seemingly similar mass market models.