BMW to start charging subscription fees to use features already in your car

[Halcyon]

https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/hitech/bmw-set-to-offer-a-netflixlike-subscription-model-for-features/news-story/091963215ffc80581eb6d52b0fcdd4e0

https://www.bmw.com/en-au/shop/ls/cp/connected-drive

TL;DR: BMW want to start charging subscriptions for the use of features already included in the vehicle. For example, AUD$29 per month or AUD$289/year for front seat heating or AUD$89 for a map update to the navigation system.

I would have considered a BMW for my next car up until this point, but now, there is no way I'll even walk into one of their dealers to even inquire.

I'll stick with Volvo where all that (and more) is already free/included with the initial purchase price of the vehicle.

[MrMobodies]

Car making giant BMW is set to 1 revolutionise the way we buy cars and use their features. But some people are likening it to ‘the apocalypse’.


The world of microtransactions is coming to a car near you. BMW is planning to charge monthly subscriptions for certain tech and luxury features in its cars. Owners will soon be able purchase access to features such as heated seats or a heated steering wheel through the BMW Connected Drive store. Cars are becoming more connected and many update the vehicle’s software over-the-air 5 in the same way your smartphone does.

Drivers can also choose a yearly, three-year subscription or buy the feature outright at a cost of $289, $419 or $589 for heated seats and $169, $259 or $349 for a heated steering wheel. Customers can also choose to pay for $19 a month to switch on the BMW Drive Recorder that automatically starts recording if your BMW detects that an accident is taking place. It will automatically store a video clip via the cameras of the driver assistance systems. The subscription service won’t be available on existing models but is set to be offered from new models launched from the end of this year. Some on social media have described the move as “Welcome to microtransaction hell” and “The apocalypse”. This is wild — BMW is now selling a monthly subscription service for heated seats in your car.

• Monthly fee: $18
• Annual fee: $180

The car will come with all the necessary components, but payment is needed to remove a software block.

Welcome to microtransaction hell.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 12, 2022
BMW owners can already upgrade their vehicles with one-off purchases for items such as wireless Apple CarPlay for $450.

This feature allows iPhone users to access key features such as calls, maps, messages, music and podcasts through their car’s infotainment display. Critics point out that other car makers, including most of BMW’s rivals, deliver these functions free of charge. Connecting your phone with a cord to access CarPlay is free after BMW tried charging customers several years ago for this feature before quickly backflipping.

BMW previously trialled charging customers for CarPlay.
2 Owners can also buy items such as high-beam assist that can detect when a car is approaching and dim the high beams and then turn them on again when the road is clear. These subscriptions and 4 one-off purchases allow buyers to keep down the cost of the initial vehicle purchase and then pick and choose what they want at a later date. Other car makers are likely to follow BMW down the road of microtransactions.

Audi and Mercedes-Benz have expressed interest in similar online stores.

3 A Mercedes-Benz software developer told News Corp Australia several years ago that the manufacturer will allow drivers to “to turn features on and off in their cars”, something that will start with software but “can definitely expand in the future to be in hardware”. Audi has previously had pay-as-you go features in Europe and expressed a desire to expand them. BMW has been criticised in the past for charging customers for items that are standard on cars sold by rivals such as Lexus. The brand also has the worst new-car warranty of any manufacturer. While the vast majority of makers offer five years’ coverage, the brand still offers only three years. The brand also has the worst new-car warranty of any manufacturer. While the vast majority of makers offer five years’ coverage, the brand still offers only three years.

1Revolutionise I hear that alot in scams. I wonder does that mean they are going to force car buyers into "renting" functionality and not give them a choice of purchasing them outright?

2 I find that more like a safety feature.

3 Let the manufacturer through the software dictate what features you and can't use and when they feel like it.

4 Now if I can physically buy the features for that car at the time of purchase fine but not on a rental.

5 What if I don't want it connected up to anything remotely and for it to be left alone?

https://www.bmw.com/en-au/shop/ls/dp/Base_CarPlay_au
"Apple Carplay Preparation" $450 [1] unlimited

"The Apple CarPlay Preparation enables on iPhones to be used wirelessly, conveniently and safely "

What do they mean by Safely?
Sounds like a new level of bullshit to me

Well one good thing, at least they didn't use plaster the word "smart" all over the place in the connected drive url or I haven't noticed.

Most of the features seem to have unlimited but I see this at the bottom like this one:
https://www.bmw.com/en-au/shop/ls/dp/Seat_Heating_SFA_au

[1] Unlimited as long as the technical prerequisites are met for this vehicle

I wonder what they mean by that?

[bdunham7]

For example, AUD$29 per month or AUD$289/year for front seat heating or AUD$89 for a map update to the navigation system.
I'll stick with Volvo where all that (and more) is already free/included with the initial purchase price of the vehicle.

Those are two very different examples, although with Google available I don't really like paying for either one. 

One of my cars has 'telematics' which can track it, set charging times, download usage data, etc.  There was a 5 year trial period included when new, and just recently instead of offering me an upgraded 4G modem and a paid subscription, they simply terminated the service and shut down the website.  "The upgrade path is a new car"--an actual quote from one of their executives.  Abandonware at it's finest.  But not my heated seats!  That would piss me off.

[Halcyon]

For example, AUD$29 per month or AUD$289/year for front seat heating or AUD$89 for a map update to the navigation system.
I'll stick with Volvo where all that (and more) is already free/included with the initial purchase price of the vehicle.

Those are two very different examples, although with Google available I don't really like paying for either one. 

One of my cars has 'telematics' which can track it, set charging times, download usage data, etc.  There was a 5 year trial period included when new, and just recently instead of offering me an upgraded 4G modem and a paid subscription, they simply terminated the service and shut down the website.  "The upgrade path is a new car"--an actual quote from one of their executives.  Abandonware at it's finest.  But not my heated seats!  That would piss me off.

I don't think the examples I provided are very different at all. I stopped buying maps when they no longer came on DVD's that you had to insert into the navigation system of the car. Free lifetime maps have been around for a long time and it's not unreasonable for a consumer that pays good money for a vehicle, to expect that functionality to continue for as long as the map provider releases those updates.

Kia, Audi, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Volvo and I'm sure many others provide free maps that you can download and update yourself. Subaru provide some free updates (depending on the model of your car) and Ford will update them "for free" when you book a scheduled service with a dealer.

I can understand things like vehicle tracking as being an additional paid service. It's not a common product consumers would buy or expect to be included, with the exception of maybe commercial vehicles.

[MrMobodies]

instead of offering me an upgraded 4G modem and a paid subscription, they simply terminated the service and shut down the website.

That's why I like the things I see and buy to be "in house" so it stays like that regardless of what happens out there with the manufacturer.

I don't think the examples I provided are very different at all. I stopped buying maps when they no longer came on DVD's that you had to insert into the navigation system of the car. Free lifetime maps have been around for a long time and it's not unreasonable for a consumer that pays good money for a vehicle, to expect that functionality to continue for as long as the map provider releases those updates. free maps that you can download and update yourself. Subaru provide some free updates (depending on the model of your car) and Ford will update them "for free" when you book a scheduled service with a dealer.

In a 2014 Volkswagon Audi wanted £120 a year subscription fee just to even use the maps.
That has made the portable GPS we used before more appealing refusing to fall for that nonsense.

[Someone]

Oh, I pay a monthly rental for heated seats....

so when those rented features stop working the dealer pays 100% of the repair cost to keep them going? For some marques, this will be cheaper than out of warranty maintenance! It will be fun to watch them try and claim rental on something the stooge customer has to maintain for them (some rather creative contract will be required).

[Halcyon]

In a 2014 Volkswagon Audi wanted £120 a year subscription fee just to even use the maps.
That has made the portable GPS we used before more appealing refusing to fall for that nonsense.

What do you expect for Volkswagen Audi Group? Consistently performing among the worst in terms of customer service/support, and reliability.

[JPortici]

Finally this is going in the mainstream. Have been in the works for at least 2 years, the subscription based future sucks. Audi is testing this, too.

I would have considered a BMW for my next car up until this point, but now, there is no way I'll even walk into one of their dealers to even inquire.

I'll stick with Volvo where all that (and more) is already free/included with the initial purchase price of the vehicle.

Don't think that volvo won't do it as well.
Side note, volvo is being abandoned in europe, albeit slowly for now. They are already losing a chunk of market because they let it known that in a few years all cars will be locked at 130 km/h, people will truly lose their shit when speed will be locked at what the traffic sign recognition sees (this is in the works too)

[MrMobodies]

Found this article about a survey:
https://www.motortrend.com/news/subscription-features-fees-new-cars-tech/

Research Suggests Most Car Shoppers Down on Subscription Fees
Small survey offers big window into car buyers' views on subscription fees for features.
Alexander Stoklosa Writer Apr 21, 2022

Automakers are exploring novel new ways to charge you money, and one of the fresh ideas they've landed on is to charge subscription fees for features previously sold as options—you know, the kinds you'd pay extra for once, when buying the car. We're talking about heated seats, or as BMW already is doing, Apple CarPlay phone-pairing capability (never mind that CarPlay is, um, included for free on many mainstream cars these days... ). Cox Automotive surveyed a relatively small group (217) of would-be car shoppers about their feelings on paying over and over again for features that used to be included at the point of sale, and the results should give automakers pause.

Per Cox's survey, a full three quarters of respondents would refuse to pay for features on an ongoing basis. The percentages of "no" responses for subscription models for safety features was even higher—80 percent—though conversely, if forced to, those same respondents would pay up to $35 per month for them, the highest dollar value the survey takers assigned to hypothetical subscription fees they could bear.

Fully 92 percent of respondents felt more physical items such as heated and cooled seats should be bought one time at the point of sale, rather than paid for over time, potentially indicating a familiarity with the idea that such mechanical upgrades would likely need to be installed in the car when new whether paid for or not, and are simply shut off unless the customer pays for them, unlike software-related upgrades, which some felt were acceptable to charge for later.

That software/mechanical distinction was made clearer by the survey's results around subscription fees around things like power upgrades in EVs, vehicle locators, and over-the-air software enhancements. Strangely, folks were less enthused about paying for more driving range or battery capacity in EVs, though perhaps because that falls into the same category as heated seats—the battery as installed at the factory has the capacity, ultimately, but the automaker charges you to unlock it even though it's already onboard your ride.

While the sample size of this survey was small, there are a few key takeaways, most notable of which is that about half the respondents weren't aware that subscription-fees-for-car-features are a thing. The results also suggest automakers will need to put in some work garnering feedback from their customers about their tolerance for these fees generally, and how they feel about their application to various features specifically.

I am familiar of the idea of buying something outright and it not to be interfered with behind my back through remote means when the manufacturers feel like it.

[BravoV]

So what next ? Subscription based for heated toilet seat ? Not paying ? We will freeze your ass ... worst, you can't flush for a month. 

Remember, whenever you heard or read ... "own nothing and be happy" ... be really scare and run away ... 

[JPortici]

1Revolutionise I hear that alot in scams. I wonder does that mean they are going to force car buyers into "renting" functionality and not give them a choice of purchasing them outright?

2 I find that more like a safety feature.

3 Let the manufacturer through the software dictate what features you and can't use and when they feel like it.

4 Now if I can physically buy the features for that car at the time of purchase fine but not on a rental.

5 What if I don't want it connected up to anything remotely and for it to be left alone?

https://www.bmw.com/en-au/shop/ls/dp/Base_CarPlay_au
"Apple Carplay Preparation" $450 [1] unlimited

"The Apple CarPlay Preparation enables on iPhones to be used wirelessly, conveniently and safely "

What do they mean by Safely?
Sounds like a new level of bullshit to me

Well one good thing, at least they didn't use plaster the word "smart" all over the place in the connected drive url or I haven't noticed.

Most of the features seem to have unlimited but I see this at the bottom like this one:
https://www.bmw.com/en-au/shop/ls/dp/Seat_Heating_SFA_au

[1] Unlimited as long as the technical prerequisites are met for this vehicle

I wonder what they mean by that?

Just as in the last few years you were not supposed to buy a car with cash, but through a finance company owned by the manufacturer, you are not supposed to buy a car, you are supposed to rent a car from a lease company. Which is, incidentally, owned by the manufacturer.
In theory there is a lot of fine print and "i agree" checkboxes in the contract to buy the car, but since the car was bought by the leasing company and they agreed, you are leasing somebody elses car and you can do nothing about it. Maybe you will be able to buy but it will probably be "to order" so that all available cars are for lease only.
Or something simillar.

we already have reports from customers who had their bmw updated, reconfigured, and put back to stock (they remapped) overnight through the ever present data connection that you can't turn off in any way

[tszaboo]

BMW had this here for a while now. Honestly, I think it is better than the car slowly disintegrating around you because the turbo and every other part is designed to be replaced at exactly out of warranty. Or Mercedes soldering a light bulb into a PCB, so the entire light assembly needs to be replaced (legal requirement) for ~1000 EUR when it burns out. And it is coded to the CAN of the car, so there is no second source.
They can all shove their shoddy practices where the sun is not shining. I'm just going to continue to use my Toyota hybrid until it breaks, which it doesn't.

[Halcyon]

BMW had this here for a while now. Honestly, I think it is better than the car slowly disintegrating around you because the turbo and every other part is designed to be replaced at exactly out of warranty. Or Mercedes soldering a light bulb into a PCB, so the entire light assembly needs to be replaced (legal requirement) for ~1000 EUR when it burns out. And it is coded to the CAN of the car, so there is no second source.
They can all shove their shoddy practices where the sun is not shining. I'm just going to continue to use my Toyota hybrid until it breaks, which it doesn't.

We're fortunate enough to have strong consumer laws for that. Manufacturer warranty means nothing in terms of how long a vehicle or part should reasonably last and whether the manufacturer should replace it for free. Car makers are quickly realising that the old line of "but the warranty has expired" doesn't fly here or in other countries with similar laws. Many now offer 7 year warranties on parts because expensive cars *should* last.

[coppice]

I'll stick with Volvo where all that (and more) is already free/included with the initial purchase price of the vehicle.

Volvo (and many others) do similar things at purchase. You want to actually USE the Apple Carplay and Android Auto that's in the infotainment system? That will be $400, please.

[madires]

Not to defend BMW, but you can get also an 'unlimited' option for US$415. In the German market the fancy extras are usually sold as optional bundles/packets. Anyway, I think German cars have a poor price-performance ratio and their spare parts are insanely expensive. And when the customer, while doing the beta testing, finds a problem the big car manufacturers don't want to take responsibility and try to blame the customer. I'm done with German car manufacturers.

[SiliconWizard]

Well,  of course. Everybody is going to jump on this bandwagon.
As some user said about AI, we won't be able to escape it. Subscription-based shit is there and it's going to crush any other model along its way. Whether it benefits customers or not doesn't matter. It's inevitable. Apparently.

[bd139]

Oh just like Tektronix, Rigol and Keysight.

Crackity crack!

[JPortici]

Crackity crack!

Problem is that now the car phones home, checks the binary and "updates" itself.

[emece67]

.

[bd139]

Crackity crack!

Problem is that now the car phones home, checks the binary and "updates" itself.

Not after a visit with mr snips it doesn’t 

[SiliconWizard]

Crackity crack!

Problem is that now the car phones home, checks the binary and "updates" itself.

Ha! But all those updates distributed in binary form are going to be problematic. What if some update does identify as non-binary? Should it refuse to install?

[BrianHG]

Hard wire a jumper switch for all the heaters, or relay link them to a mandatory function, like the rear window defroster.  Want warm seats and steering wheel, just turn on the rear defogger.

But, watch your warranty vanish when something major happens to the car.

[themadhippy]

But, watch your warranty vanish

And insurance due to a modification not approved by the manufacturer

[Someone]

Hard wire a jumper switch for all the heaters, or relay link them to a mandatory function, like the rear window defroster.  Want warm seats and steering wheel, just turn on the rear defogger.

Aren't even low end cars now using CAN (or some other multiplex/network) for just about everything to save weight/money? Heated/electric seats don't expose a wire to enable/switch them.

[Cyberdragon]

Hard wire a jumper switch for all the heaters, or relay link them to a mandatory function, like the rear window defroster.  Want warm seats and steering wheel, just turn on the rear defogger.

But, watch your warranty vanish when something major happens to the car.

Hopefully with that Weber grill incident, it'll make it harder for companies to pull that crap.