BMW: Automaker offers seat heating as a subscription - 17 euros a month
Created: 07/16/2022, 21:50
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
BMW logo.
© Christophe Gateau/dpa/archive image
The car manufacturer BMW has introduced a new subscription model in some countries.
If you want heated seats, you have to pay from now on - apparently also in Germany.
Munich - In winter, heated seats in the car can be quite cozy in the midst of the cold.
BMW owners who want to continue to enjoy this level of comfort apparently have to dig into their pockets in some countries.
Because by means of a new subscription model, the car manufacturer only offers some additional functions for a fee - so far at least in some countries.
Apparently, this also includes Germany.
BMW: Functions are now offered as a subscription – Germany is also affected
According to the technology portal
The Verge
, BMW has currently activated the new subscription model in Germany, Great Britain, South Africa and New Zealand.
According to
Business Insider
, among other things, the following functions can be purchased for a monthly payment.
Seat heating:
17 euros per month, 390 euros for an unlimited term
Heated steering wheel:
9 euros per month
High-beam assistant:
8 euros per month
Driving assistant:
40 euros per month
Apparently, thanks to the car's Internet connection, the functions are to be activated remotely with a click.
As early as 2020, BMW announced that the new operating system of BMW cars will enable microtransactions in the future, as
The Verge
reported.
BMW: Customer resistance to subscription model expected - "interesting ups and downs"
Understandably, however, customers are not too enthusiastic about the news from BMW.
Many are likely to criticize the development as greedy.
For businesses, however, microtransactions mostly represent a steady source of income alongside the sale of cars.
That customers have to pay for add-ons to their cars is not new.
This time the limiting factor is not the hardware but the software.
According to information from
The Verge
, the necessary hardware is already integrated into the cars, but only unlocked for a fee.
In the USA there was already resistance to a subscription model from BMW.
This was a model for Apple CarPlay for a payment of 80 euros per month.
After criticism from customers, the automaker was forced to abandon the plan.
Since the subscription models are still fairly new, companies first need to better assess what customers would actually spend money on.
Kristin Kolodge, an analyst at consumer research firm JD Power, told
Business Insider
, "I think we're going to see some interesting ups and downs to find out what really matters."
The new SUV "BMW XM" was apparently not well received by customers.
(bb)