BMW heated seats subscription costs $18 per month in South Korea(motor1.com)
motor1.com
BMW heated seats subscription costs $18 per month in South Korea
https://www.motor1.com/news/597376/bmw-heated-seats-subscription/
384 comments
Good news is that all bmw's come with all the options just turned off via software..
So be smart guys, this is called hacker news for a reason... Just buy bare metal bmw and turn all luxury options on... (and BMW is traditionally very dumb on security)...
So be smart guys, this is called hacker news for a reason... Just buy bare metal bmw and turn all luxury options on... (and BMW is traditionally very dumb on security)...
Super weird decision from BMW. The brand is all about luxury and performance at all costs. Trying to nickel and dime on seat heaters just seems cheap.
I hope people promptly come up with ways to enable these features for free. This is nothing short of criminal. To charge for a feature that is physically in the car.
Yes you can do that with a SASS product but no you cannot for a physical product.
Yes you can do that with a SASS product but no you cannot for a physical product.
If companies continues adding more subscription options in more models it will make some aftermarket electronic modules, or simply jailbreak hacks, to bypass those locks. It happened already in the Tesla, and I don't think it will stop here.
I can see why a car manufacturer would not want to make two versions of each car, one with heated seats and one without. Instead, build it into all of them, and only activate and charge those that actually need it.
Also, the subscription is an option. You can also pay the full price for the feature.
Where I live, I could see using this once or two months a year. Whereas some would need it more and they might just buy the option outright.
Also, the subscription is an option. You can also pay the full price for the feature.
Where I live, I could see using this once or two months a year. Whereas some would need it more and they might just buy the option outright.
Seems a small step after Tesla’s $2000-$3000 “acceleration boost” software update that came out in December of 2019.
https://electriccarpledge.com/tesla-acceleration-boost/
https://electriccarpledge.com/tesla-acceleration-boost/
This seems no different than Intel manufacturing fewer distinct things and using CPU locking to sell at more price points.
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2239/cpu-lock
It’s cheaper to physically put the functionality in all the cars than to differentiate at assembly time. We don’t have the same visceral reaction to paying for options at the dealer.
(I am assuming they aren’t adding this charge RETROACTIVELY. That’s very different)
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2239/cpu-lock
It’s cheaper to physically put the functionality in all the cars than to differentiate at assembly time. We don’t have the same visceral reaction to paying for options at the dealer.
(I am assuming they aren’t adding this charge RETROACTIVELY. That’s very different)
As long as it stays an additional option next to permanent buying it I don't see the problem. Maybe I didn't care for heated seats zt time of purchase, but suddenly it's a very cold winter and I want it for a couple of months. Or someone wants to buy my car, but really wants heated seats can now do so.
so you buy the car, fully equipped with the heat seating... but you can't turn it on unless you pay a subscription fee?
I had to double check this wasn't an Onion article.
thats one of the most dumbest brand burning idea's I've ever seen. I'm happy enough with my Mid range Rav4 Hybrid that comes with seat heaters and no subscription fee thanks...
I had to double check this wasn't an Onion article.
thats one of the most dumbest brand burning idea's I've ever seen. I'm happy enough with my Mid range Rav4 Hybrid that comes with seat heaters and no subscription fee thanks...
I wasn't particularly impressed when I got my new 4 series and had to pay £20 or something like that for auto-highbeams, even if it is a one off.
I can sort of understand a subscription for the speed camera data, although its a bit cheap, but for the lights it seemed mad.
I can sort of understand a subscription for the speed camera data, although its a bit cheap, but for the lights it seemed mad.
At first was a little uncomfortable with the change, but then I thought how much would it be today to add those optionals to a new car.
Checking from my phone, the heated steering wheel is more than 300$, which is more than what would cost the permanent upgrade in the car.
Now we should wonder, having a construction line and distribution system capable of handling optionals like the heated steering wheel, does it cost more or less than 300$? I don't think that the answer is obvious.
Would it be possible that the car get actually cheaper for the consumers?
Also having those optionals allow to turn them on and off at will. Maybe if I swap car with my SO it would like the heated seat that I never care for.
I see the dangerous of this, but I also see the benefits.
Checking from my phone, the heated steering wheel is more than 300$, which is more than what would cost the permanent upgrade in the car.
Now we should wonder, having a construction line and distribution system capable of handling optionals like the heated steering wheel, does it cost more or less than 300$? I don't think that the answer is obvious.
Would it be possible that the car get actually cheaper for the consumers?
Also having those optionals allow to turn them on and off at will. Maybe if I swap car with my SO it would like the heated seat that I never care for.
I see the dangerous of this, but I also see the benefits.
The people should charge BMW more for renting space in their car for seat heaters.
AS a consumer I absolutely hate subscriptions. I will never own a subscription to anything I can replace for something else. I bought solar panels to avoid electric subscription, etc. I never buy on credit, etc
You won't own anything, and you will be happy (not).
This is truly insane, its WORSE than feudalism. https://www.businessinsider.com/american-worker-less-vacatio...
This is truly insane, its WORSE than feudalism. https://www.businessinsider.com/american-worker-less-vacatio...
How soon until your car tells BMW that it's cold outside and BMW turns on the heated seats and puts an ad on your display, "For just $18/Month, this feature could be yours!"
As a long time fanboy of BMW... they keep breaking my heart. First their questionable design choices, now this.
> A similar subscription plan is offered for a heated steering wheel and it costs $10 per month, $92 annually, and $161 for three years. You can also buy it outright for $222.
They're working on much worst things... Prepare for car microtransactions.
People who pay a subscription to use an item they bought for are part of the problem.
They have an option to buy it outright that appears to be priced at the same level as a typical upgrade. They also have 1 and 3 year subscriptions. This is actually a net win for both BMW and for consumers. You can do things like "try extensively before you buy" or even choose to only subscribe during the winter (which they probably expect a lot of people to do). BMW benefits because they're almost certainly expanding the total value they capture in upgrades. It's no longer a single customer decision point. Really savvy and perfectly sensible.
When real interest rates and inflation are low, recurring revenue looks really attractive, because the NPV is high. That makes sense and I see how that drives subscription models for everything from movies to phones to car seats. But now interest rates are rising and inflation is high, I can't help but think BMW have missed the boat and are pursuing a model that would have been a great idea in 2008 but with hindsight will look dumb when 2030 people look back at us.
Unpopular opinion: this could be a consumer benefit, although BMW doesn’t seem to quite have the value proposition exactly where I’d like it to be.
It’s cheaper to build fewer SKUs and variations of a product. The fact that the assembly line never has to change what they’re installing in the car could make heated seats cheaper in the first place.
BMW currently charges $500 for heated seats a la carte in the US, so that costs 1.76 times more than the 3 year subscription at $283. That means your breakeven point is at a little bit over 5 years, without considering present and future value of money.
I could see a lot of BMW owners being completely uninterested in owning the car after 5 years, with so many of them choosing to lease. It is a luxury car, after all.
Now, here’s the other thing, if you do the monthly plan, presumably you could unsubscribe in the summer. So that’s more like $54 a year if you need it for three months of the year. That puts your breakeven point at close to 10 years!
BMW does have a lifetime purchase option, too.
I hope these purchases are tied to the vehicle and not the owner, but I have my doubts on BMW being so benevolent.
I also think it would be ideal if hardware subscriptions like this would simply unlock once the car reaches a certain age to consider its depreciated status.
It’s cheaper to build fewer SKUs and variations of a product. The fact that the assembly line never has to change what they’re installing in the car could make heated seats cheaper in the first place.
BMW currently charges $500 for heated seats a la carte in the US, so that costs 1.76 times more than the 3 year subscription at $283. That means your breakeven point is at a little bit over 5 years, without considering present and future value of money.
I could see a lot of BMW owners being completely uninterested in owning the car after 5 years, with so many of them choosing to lease. It is a luxury car, after all.
Now, here’s the other thing, if you do the monthly plan, presumably you could unsubscribe in the summer. So that’s more like $54 a year if you need it for three months of the year. That puts your breakeven point at close to 10 years!
BMW does have a lifetime purchase option, too.
I hope these purchases are tied to the vehicle and not the owner, but I have my doubts on BMW being so benevolent.
I also think it would be ideal if hardware subscriptions like this would simply unlock once the car reaches a certain age to consider its depreciated status.
BMW has already shown itself to be skeevy by attempting to charge a fee for Apple's CarPlay; fortunately, if memory serves, they backed down from that.
I'll never buy another BMW, and I won't buy a car from a company that follows suit. It's gross.
I'll never buy another BMW, and I won't buy a car from a company that follows suit. It's gross.
Do they have to pay extra for the turn signals too?
If you want to know the future, read Philip K. Dick (this subject is straight from "Ubik") and Vernor Vinge's "Rainbows End".
Am I the only one that actually likes this idea? I live in Austin, where we only need heated seats like three months out of the year at most. On top of that, if I pay $999 for heated seats as an addon, that’s equivalent to 4.5 years of subscription at $18/m. If I could turn off lots of features while I’m on vacation, etc. I think that’s a huge win. But clearly I’m in the extreme minority.
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I can see it for some exterior feature of the car such as gold plated trim or fancy rims, but you would really have to be "in the know" about this brand, to know that someone has paid an extra $18/mo for this feature. Unless you ride with them.
Still, if this becomes a way that I can get a cheaper car by declining all of the add-ons, or if it lowers the price of used cars, I'll be happy.
Still, if this becomes a way that I can get a cheaper car by declining all of the add-ons, or if it lowers the price of used cars, I'll be happy.
I wish instead of subscription they make car more modular (I mean certain features). So I can opt out things I don’t want and add later
For cars with internal combustion engines, the company tends to get constant income via service thanks oil filters, other filters, and a whole bunch of stuff that needs to be replaced (assuming people take it to authorised service centers, which I assume most people do when the car is relatively new).
With the transition to EV, those avenues dry up because EVs need lesser maintenance (as per my understanding).
So, are they trying to create new recurring income sources due to the possibility of existing such incomes drying up?