BMW will stop locking features behind a monthly subscription

[Jan]

BMW kills controversial heated seats subscription

BMW will stop locking hardware-based features like heated seats behind a monthly subscription service for those that don't want to buy it upfront, Autocar reports.

The publication recently spoke to BMW board member for sales and marketing, Pieter Nota, about its plans for in-car subscriptions in the future.

 

[Dan C]

So the indicators will be unlocked ?

 

[The_MAC]

So the indicators will be unlocked ?

Locked, unlocked, locked ,unlocked etc.

 

[eepr0m]

Wait what? You have to pay a monthly sub for the heated seats to work?
Thats just ridiculous.

 

[Nirv]

Execs will probably say "consumers aren't ready for this yet" when they should be saying "this was a kak dom idea and we should all be fired". Watch them try again a few years down the line.

 

[genetic]

Wait what? You have to pay a monthly sub for the heated seats to work?
Thats just ridiculous.

It's been a thing for a while with a few manufacturers.

BMW isn’t alone — Volkswagen, Toyota, Audi, Cadillac, Porsche, and Tesla have all dabbled in subscription models for certain options, such as driver-assist features or voice recognition. It’s a troubling trend, considering how much people freaking hate it.

The future of cars is a subscription nightmare

Most customers hate having to pay recurring fees.

www.theverge.com

 

[gregmcc]

The whole lot is a con. Too many people complained about the heated seats so they are dropping that and just making other things subscription.

"You'll own nothing and be happy"

 

[Heisenborg]

Same on their bikes. Same bike, different dash options if you buy different "packages"

 

[Gudnews]

A peak of 5G and connected devices.

 

[Paulsie]

That's like buying a jar of mayonnaise and Nola asking you to pay to unscrew the lid.
Just like others said. You paid for it but you don't own it.
Ridiculous!!!

 

[chrisc]

Are not phones like this? Spend R20k on an iPhone to find it does less than a Nokia I had in 2000

 

[genetic]

Are not phones like this? Spend R20k on an iPhone to find it does less than a Nokia I had in 2000

Are you high?

Please tell me which iPhone does less than a circa 2000 Nokia basic cellphone?

 

[Harmonic]

Are not phones like this? Spend R20k on an iPhone to find it does less than a Nokia I had in 2000

Shhhhh. You're going to trigger the elites

 

[FiestaST]

I’ve linked it many a time but it’s always worth revisiting.

How To Be A BMW Driver, 4.4M views & counting.

 

[FiestaST]

BMW drops heated seats subscription amid backlash

Car makers are generally desperate about two main things these days - hopping on the EV train, and trying to somehow make subscriptions a thing (with their eyes on all the money that companies in completely unrelated fields are making from that model).

BMW has been at the forefront of both, and everyone remembers it starting to charge customers for heated seats last year, right? Well, that's gone now. The 'feature' only survived one winter, and barely. BMW, to its own shock, found that people don't want to pay for that sort of stuff, and so it's taken the heated seats subscription off of its online stores.

This wasn't widely available across the world, but it was offered to customers in the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Korea, and South Africa at least, through BMW's digital stores for those countries. Prices varied by territory, but it was about $18, give or take, for a monthly subscription, around $180 for a full year, $300 for three years, and $415 for unlimited access.

Going forward, you'll still pay for heated seats, but only once when you buy the car - either for this feature on its own or as part of a package.

BMW drops heated seats subscription amid backlash

The company found that people weren't willing to pay for something like that.

www.arenaev.com

 

[s0lar]

Wait what? You have to pay a monthly sub for the heated seats to work?
Thats just ridiculous.

Make sense in a place like SA where you may only use them a month or two.

 

[Swa]

I hate the whole subscription thing the world is moving to. They all think their services are the bees knees but just give us an open model and we can all source our own which is vastly superior to what they provide.

 

[Paulsie]

Make sense in a place like SA where you may only use them a month or two.

Makes sense NOWHERE!
The heating elements are already installed within the seats. You paid for them.
Now you cannot use them without paying???

 

[s0lar]

Makes sense NOWHERE!
The heating elements are already installed within the seats. You paid for them.
Now you cannot use them without paying???

So you use heated seats in summer? Weirdo.

 

[Priapus]

So you use heated seats in summer? Weirdo.

Even if he doesn’t. It’s a fair point. The hardware is in the vehicle - which has been paid for. Subscription models don’t work for cars. It’s a stupid idea and needs to die.