BMW will introduce a subscription fee for various extras, offering them for temporary use or “buy for life”.
Is it surprising that the car manufacturers did not come up with this idea earlier – you can get a lot more from one manufactured car if the buyer is offered extras and functions that he could subscribe to for a separate fee. Even better, if the extras are tied to a specific person (BMW plans to do just that), then the next owner would buy them or other functions again.
German publication Focus writes that BMW has now introduced a subscription fee for heated seats in its vehicles. In Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea and Germany, customers can already book the option for 18 euros per month. Depending on how often you want a warm bottom, the costs increase: an annual subscription is available for 180 euros, for 300 euros you can enjoy warm seats for three years, and for 415 euros you can buy this option “for life”.
BMW has been working on this subscription model since 2020 – the necessary parts, such as heating elements, are already built into the seat, but the system is activated only when the manufacturer has received payment.
In fact, this idea was discovered by Tesla. The most well-known is the Autopilot system, which a Tesla owner can activate by paying and signing up to use it. BMW has adopted this practice, opening up new possibilities. What about steering wheel heating for 10 euros a month or some other comfort extra? But all kinds of digital services or interfaces? It would also be possible to control engine power and maximum speed, but for electric vehicles different charging capacities and driving range.
Of course, this is presented as taking care of the customer, because now it doesn’t have to pay for possibly unnecessary extras that it might not even use at all. Now you can much better customize your car to your – possibly changing – needs, its manufacturer.
It cannot be said that everything is so smooth – recently, after criticism, BMW abandoned the plan to charge about 80 euros per month for Apple CarPlay in the US, writes Focus, referring to the information published by Business Insider.
This will not change the general trend of transforming the car into a profitable business model in this way, Focus thinks, and believes that BMW’s efforts in this area are only the beginning, which will pave the way for other automakers.
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