BMW of South Korea is setting the price to $8 per month, Motor1 reports. Adaptive cruise control is another $39 per month.
Subscription models are nothing new, especially for the German automaker. BMW has been offering some of their comfort features via OTA subscriptions since the start of the pandemic. Now, however, we are seeing essential car features being offered as subscriptions.
While the hardware is equipped in your car, access is tethered to a subscription model after a one month free trial, unless you bought it at the shop at the time of purchase. That’s right, you can purchase high beam usage outright. Your options after the one month free trial are to be on a monthly, annual, or three-year plan. The three-year option is $122, while it would be $182 to purchase the feature outright. I will say it is strange to even refer to high beams as a feature, when really they are standard and essential equipment.
Not to mention, it raises the question whether a feature purchased outright is possession of the owner, or instead can be subject to OTA rollbacks in the future effectively revoking access. Does this also mean that in the future they’ll geo-lock features and have you pay extra to use your car across borders?
The a la carte subscription approach to automotive features (read essentials) is fundamentally concerning and filled with much uncertainty. As these pricing models become more common place, grow too will the concerns.
What do you consider an acceptable price? Is there even one?
Published in New and Noteworthy
$18/mo for heated seats. GTFO! I buy a car I want the car. I’m not leasing pieces and parts. This is a terrible idea for the consumer. Cash cow for the manufacturer. Get bent, yet again, BMW. Ultimate money generating scheme … You peaked in the 80’s. Next.
It truly is insane. Looks like manufacturers are seeing subscriptions as the biggest revenue source in the future.