BMW admits mistake

BMW has admitted that monthly fees to unlock heated seats and steering wheel options “probably weren’t the best way” to tap into the growing market for subscription features in new cars. However, the Bavarian giant won’t abandon subscriptions entirely and is further bolstering the practice in its latest models with fees to unlock additional driver-assistance technologies.

The new iX3 electric SUV will be available with a 360-degree camera subscription, as well as a Driving Assistant Pro package that includes lane-change assistance and hands-free highway driving, plus semi-autonomous capabilities in urban areas, similar to Tesla Full Self-Driving Supervised.

Customers can order these features before delivery, and BMW will install the hardware that enables them in every car that rolls off the production line, allowing for later unlocking.

A BMW spokesperson admitted that the seat heating subscriptions introduced in 2022, which were widely criticized, were not successful.

“The criticism we received was related to the seat heating, so maybe that wasn’t the best way to start,” he said at the iX3’s international premiere.

“We will install all the technology on the machines, but you should know that we have maintenance costs for additional systems. For example, you have the use of the cloud – that is a cost for us. If you use it, we have to pay for it.”

"Not everything is important to every customer, but technology is important and we still believe in the option offering structure where you don't have to decide from the start whether you want a security system. Some people thought when they bought that they would never need it, but they can always decide to unlock a certain feature later, online," the spokesperson said.Indeksonline/