Imagine purchasing an espresso machine, and then the manufacturer says that you'll have to pay a monthly fee so that you can use the steamer that's already attached to the device. That's exactly what BMW was trying to do with its seat warmers. Luckily for BMW vehicle owners, the company is taking that policy back.
Warm Seats Are Now Free
Back in 2022, the luxury car company thought that charging its customers $18 a month to warm their seats was a good idea. Naturally, customers were not so happy about it. After all, it already came with the purchase of the car itself, so why pay monthly for its activation?
For an expensive car that costs around $50,000, you'd expect that you won't have to pay for luxury features anymore. Every customer shares that belief, which is why they came together to protest the idea, especially since automakers might add more "features" like this in the future.
The hardware-based function, once locked behind a paywall, is now technically free, as reported by Tech Crunch. BMW has come to its senses, realizing that angry customers lead to bad business, although that's not what they're telling the public.
One of the company's board members for sales and marketing, Pieter Nota reasoned that they thought they could provide extra service by offering the chance to activate it later on, but "user acceptance isn't that high," which is expected.
The board member further explained how people felt like they were paying double, and how that was not true. "Perception is reality, I always say. So that was the reason we stopped that." Nota concluded. BMW is not completely turning its back on over-the-air services.
The automaker plans on expanding its offers of on-demand software services for future models. There are a lot of potential functions as more features are added in vehicles such as self-driving, parking assistance, and more.
Automaker Subscription Services
Despite the backlash with BMW's monthly paid heated seats, which was a bit of a doozy, car companies are still intent on implementing subscription services. Other luxury brands like General Motors are looking to profit from these charges, some of which can be justified.
For instance, GM vehicles like Buick, GMC, and Cadillac Escalade will require buyers to pay $1,500 for the three years of OnStar service, which includes functions like unlocking the cars through a phone app or voice control, as reported by The New York Post.
Toyota has also implemented a monthly $8 fee so that buyers can start their cars using the key fob. The problem is that Toyota already had that feature for free previously. The same subscription option goes for brands like Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi.
The biggest separate payment after purchase so far is that of Tesla, particularly its Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities. To unlock the feature that lets drivers access an assistance system, the buyer must pay $12,000, in addition to the car price which ranges between $47,740 to $79,990.
