BMW Commits To Subscriptions Even After Heated Seat Debacle
12 169BMW may have retreated from its controversial plan to charge monthly fees for heated seats, but the German automaker is pressing ahead with subscription-based vehicle features through its ConnectedDrive platform.
A company spokesperson told The Drive that BMW "remains fully committed" to ConnectedDrive as part of its global aftersales strategy. Features requiring data connectivity will likely carry recurring fees.
12 comments
Explain (Score: 5, Insightful)
by PPH ( 736903 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @09:07PM (#65969590)
Features requiring data connectivity will likely carry recurring fees.
Re:Explain (Score: 5, Funny)
by sinij ( 911942 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @09:29PM (#65969608)
Easy. Such heavy load has to be distributed.
Re:Explain (Score: 5, Funny)
by burtosis ( 1124179 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @10:17PM (#65969662)
Easy. Such heavy load has to be distributed.
And you know what happens when you can’t pay, a distributed denial of service.
Re:Explain (Score: 5, Insightful)
by MBGMorden ( 803437 ) on Thursday February 05, 2026 @09:35AM (#65970236)
The option itself was what set people off.
Even if there is an offer to heated seats to be a purchase, having the OPTION to pay monthly made a truth obvious to the public that anyone can understand: You can't download seat heating. That's hardware that's either there or its not, and if you're charging monthly for it then its already part of the car that I've paid for and this car is already perfectly capable of performing the function - you just want more money to enable it.
People would have been pissed to find out that the heating hardware was there and just "turned on" even if it was a purchase option rather than a subscription, but most people would never think about it or notice. The subscription option though made that fact very, very obvious.
New Subscription - only $149.99/month (Score: 5, Funny)
by silvergig ( 7651900 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @09:08PM (#65969592)
For a Beemer, it's the Pretentious Dickbag Subscription. For another $799.99/month, we'll put a middle finger where the turn signals would normally be.
Re: New Subscription - only $149.99/month (Score: 5, Funny)
by macson_g ( 1551397 ) on Thursday February 05, 2026 @12:37AM (#65969758)
BMW has turn signals...?
Re: New Subscription - only $149.99/month (Score: 5, Funny)
by wgoodman ( 1109297 ) on Thursday February 05, 2026 @01:58AM (#65969822)
They're ornamental
Not only BMW (Score: 5, Informative)
by sinij ( 911942 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @09:26PM (#65969604)
This abuse is a direct consequence of connected cars. Lexus (Toyota) is charging subscription to use in-dash GPS. They hide it behind giving away 1 year trial, so if you go to test drive one you might not even know that such feature is a subscription.
Re:Not only BMW (Score: 5, Insightful)
by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @11:04PM (#65969712)
And, right there, you find the real reason so many manufacturers are no longer offering CarPlay and Android Auto.
If you use either of those third-party services, you'll find you don't have much need for the manufacturer-provided network connection, GPS maps, road condition reports, local speed limit info, etc. etc.
Ahh! (Score: 5, Funny)
by warp_kez ( 711090 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @09:38PM (#65969614)
This explains why BMW drivers don't indicate when changing lanes or turning: they haven't paid their subscription fee for the indicators.
Duh (Score: 5, Insightful)
by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @09:57PM (#65969632)
>"Features requiring data connectivity will likely carry recurring fees."
Duh. That is not controversial. ALL the manufacturers do that. Map updates, cellular data service, road condition and construction overlays, semi-autonomous driving liability, etc, are legit continuous costs and effort by the manufacturer, and that is understandable.
That is COMPLETELY different for charging for heated seats, in which the owner already has the hardware, and there is no software updating, no services provided, and no expense to BWM.
When subscriptions are good ideas. (Score: 5, Insightful)
by gurps_npc ( 621217 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2026 @10:13PM (#65969654)
If it costs your companies money to provide the service every month, then it is a good idea to charge a subscription for the service.
If it is costs you nothing to provide the 'service', then you are a scum sucking thieving bastard that is trying to rip off your customers.
Example1: To print a magazine every month and deliver it, costs you money: SUBSCRIPTION.
Example 2: To let them use something they already bought: NO SUBSCRIPTION.