[R Leong]

BMW is rolling out a subscription charge for allowing heating steering wheel, seats, etc.

BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month

Now being sold in South Korea, the UK, and elsewhere

www.theverge.com

 

[todd92]

BMW started with the SiriusXM business model a couple of years ago. That and the styling going full ugly has ruined the brand.

 

[wassei1]

I can see how this can be taken as I sign of Auto greed gone wild but also see some merit in it as well. In my case, I don't have blind spot monitoring in my car but I wish I had it. If it was just a matter of AR turning on some software in my car, I might be willing to pay something to get it after the fact. In the case of heated seats, a customer buys an car in Florida and then moves to Minnesota after a while. Customer might appreciate having the option by just paying manufacturer to turn on the feature in his car.

 

[lost1750GTV]

Bizarre to pay monthly for something already paid for in the purchase price.

 

[Chasriff]

Kind of makes you wonder if BMW has a chance to lose money if they load up all the cars wth all the options and folks don't bother to sign up to actually use them.

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

Car manufactuers want some of that never-ending subscription money.


What we as consumers MUST do is to not give it to them.

 

[pocholin]

I would hate it if they went Microsoft 365 as well. I can see an increase of hacking companies enabling the option for lower cost...unfortunately, in the form of a cheaper subscription though

BTW, I will never get any Microsoft product as a monthly subscription...much less of a chance for car features.

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

I do recording and mixing for fun... The entier recording world is going to subscriptions for everything and it's horrible, enough $10 a month charges your suddenly spending $200 a month.

Only mention this because I recently discovered Acustica Audio plugins.. which don't follow that model and sound better then anyone else IMO.

They are also Italian....have maddeningly frustrating interfaces that force you to adapt to how they want you to work as opposed to how you want to work, are ridiculously buggy and require you to have a super computer or screw off...seriously... Some of them recommend 128gb of ram. Insane.

So they remind me alot of Alfa Romeo 🤣, anyways.... Hopefully that's an Italian thing. Not doing subscriptions just selling a great product. (Even if everything about it doesn't always makes sense)

 

[TDW11]

Let me get this straight. All the hardware for these things is installed at the factory. Check. We pay for all that on the sticker. Check. Now they want to charge us to use what we paid for (minus maybe some software costs in the ECU/BCU/head unit to turn the stuff on). Check.

BS profit gouge. It's like if Alfa said, well, your car comes with DNA, but you have to subscribe to use D. What's next, you have to subscribe to activate the airbags or seat belt tensioners?

 

[topnycdog]

I can see how this can be taken as I sign of Auto greed gone wild but also see some merit in it as well. In my case, I don't have blind spot monitoring in my car but I wish I had it. If it was just a matter of AR turning on some software in my car, I might be willing to pay something to get it after the fact. In the case of heated seats, a customer buys an car in Florida and then moves to Minnesota after a while. Customer might appreciate having the option by just paying manufacturer to turn on the feature in his car.

I can agreed if it a one time payment. To add software to things you may thought you didn’t want. You must just buy the hardware part as well for a dealer or self installed. Not monthly payment. I heard of Tesla, charging a 2nd owner for the self driving thing. Although it was already installed. They removed it, Had to paid have turn on again. So I purchased a used vehicle because what it has. I must paid to keep it, that will not work for me.

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

The way it is being sold right now is it allows people to test drive options after they get the car.

Not that I believe for a second that is the end game. This experiment needs to fail.

 

[ViscontiVerde 164L*]

Car manufactuers want some of that never-ending subscription money.


What we as consumers MUST do is to not give it to them.

Why many of us DO NOT buy subscriptions...............

 

[Mbelliss12]

Yeah, get ready. As we speak there are loads of execs in every car company salivating at establishing over the air revenue streams…will be interesting to see if they can make it work when the hardware has to be in the vehicle in addition to the software sub…

 

[[email protected]]

BMW is rolling out a subscription charge for allowing heating steering wheel, seats, etc.

BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month

Now being sold in South Korea, the UK, and elsewhere

www.theverge.com

Actually my BMW is a great auto VERY Dependable and I also have an Alfa so I am good person to compare . To be fair to BMW it is actually a smart idea read this you will agree :
BMW Responds to Fury Over Heated Seats Subscription Fee

 

[TDW11]

Sorry, not buying it. Quote from your article: "but unless a customer actually orders heated seats in a car, they'll just be sitting around until they're paid for, via a subscription or otherwise."

Sitting around? Where? Oh, in your car, which means they were installed (hardward and elements needed to provide heat, etc..) at the factory and part of the sticker price, which means you already paid for it, but can't actually use it until you pay for a subscription.

Huh? You have to rent something after you bought it? What's next, subscription wheels?

Change my mind.

 

[Robins652]

BMW is rolling out a subscription charge for allowing heating steering wheel, seats, etc.

BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month

Now being sold in South Korea, the UK, and elsewhere

www.theverge.com

It is called annuities subscription model and corporations love them because they generate ongoing revenue stream.

Vote with your feet. Just walk away from dealers that try and sell that. I paid for heated seats and steering in my Stelvio and i own it, not Alfa Romeo.

 

[psujwj]

 

[TDW11]

Karl Marx said something like that in the 1840s

 

[AlfaJohn]

Vinfast, a new EV start up out of Vietnam, has a subscription for the cars safety features. So you pay for stuff like Rear Cross Traffic, Lane Keeping, etc on a subscription basis. Just horrible practice. I will actively seek out manufacturers that do not do this OR just keep a vehicle I have that already has it working.
Didn't Toyota start making you pay to use the key fob?

 

[wassei1]

I can agreed if it a one time payment. To add software to things you may thought you didn’t want. You must just buy the hardware part as well for a dealer or self installed. Not monthly payment. I heard of Tesla, charging a 2nd owner for the self driving thing. Although it was already installed. They removed it, Had to paid have turn on again. So I purchased a used vehicle because what it has. I must paid to keep it, that will not work for me.

I imagine the way it would work is that manufacturers would build one version of their cars with all the optional features and software already built in, presumably saving build costs and passing the savings on to consumers (you can stop laughing now.) Then each buyer would pay the dealer to turn on each feature desired. We can grumble all we want, but if that's the way they do it in the future, we're screwed. We'll have to go back to the horse and buggy.