BMW car heated seat "subscription system" sparked heated discussion

BMW HEATED SEAT:

Consumers in modern society are faced with many paid subscription services, not just cell phone and Internet services, but even owning a car may require additional fees to use some advanced features.

 Germany's BMW has sparked heated discussions in the UK with a £15-a-month heated seat option, with a heated steering wheel for £10 a month. Consumers can pay for various options through BMW’s “ConnectedDrive” online store.

 The price varies according to the length of time. After paying, the selected functions will be activated remotely, and there is no need to drive to the car dealership. . Consumers can also opt to pay a one-time fee to buy out all hardware features, BMW said, eliminating the need for a monthly or annual "subscription"

This is not the first time BMW has introduced a paid service in the UK, with some options requiring a fee to use, including the heated seat option, which was introduced just this month, and which are available in different countries. How driverless cars will change our world Several reasons why used car prices are skyrocketing around the world The storm of the automobile revolution has begun. Can the road and the mountains and rivers in front of the gas station be in the dark? opportunity to experience BMW told the BBC that if consumers had already opted for heated seats, or any other option, when buying a new car, they would not have to pay any "subscription fees" in the future. But if consumers don't choose to buy heated seats or any other options when they buy a new car, the new payment method will give consumers "the opportunity to experience options that were not originally purchased." BMW said that this is especially useful for people who buy used cars, because buying used cars usually only accepts the existing equipment of the car, and cannot choose to purchase additional equipment that is not available. selected function.

In addition, the paid subscription method allows consumers to "pay for a feature for a short period of time before purchasing it permanently to experience whether the feature is suitable for their needs." BMW emphasises that consumers can pay for option features in perpetuity, for example consumers can pay £200 for a heated steering wheel feature "forever", which will continue as long as the car's "technical conditions" meet the requirements. Flying cars are born, and the world will change Tesla driver charged for 'dozing off while speeding' Do we still need a driver's license in the age of driverless cars?

Lively discussion 

The subscription service launched by BMW has sparked heated discussions on the Internet. The US technology news website "The Verge" said, "Taking the function of heated seats as an example, BMW has actually installed all the required heating parts on the car, but It is another software installed to block the function, and the consumer has to pay for it to be unlocked by BMW.” The Register, a British technology news site, said that while paid services may be useful to some consumers, on the other hand, it feels like "buying a cup and paying to rent the handle of the cup". There are reports that BMW's pay-for-service is part of a broader trend in the auto industry, and some other automakers have begun offering similar services. There are many negative comments on social media. One Twitter user posted, "Paid subscription software is one thing, but no one pays monthly for heated seats, if I own a car, I should own everything in that car. " The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil rights advocacy group, said that "blocking heated seats with software is a glitch and owners have the right to fix their car seats."