BMW faced criticism last year for introducing a monthly subscription model for heated seats among other features. However, the concept of charging for seat heating, especially when it came pre-installed in the car, sparked outrage among customers. After enduring months of backlash, BMW has chosen to discontinue the practice of recurring fees for hardware-based functions.
BMW marketing chief Pieter Nota explained to Autocar that they no longer offer heated seats through monthly subscriptions. He emphasized that it is now a straightforward inclusion in the car rather than an optional add-on requiring additional fees.
BMW’s decision was not solely about monetizing heated seats but aimed at optimizing production by standardizing heated seats across all vehicles, as the vast majority of BMWs are purchased with this feature. Those who didn’t choose heated seats initially could still activate them later, either through a subscription or a one-time purchase. Nota remains convinced that the approach was beneficial.
BMW
Nota elaborated to Autocar that they aimed to provide added value by allowing later activation of features, but the user response was not as positive as expected. Many customers felt they were being charged twice, despite this not being the case. This perception led to the discontinuation of the practice.
An alternate viewpoint suggests that BMW was indeed double-dipping with heated seat subscriptions. While the move was intended to cut production costs and streamline operations, the savings were not reflected in lower car prices. Customers were essentially paying for heated seats regardless of their preference. BMW not only charged for an existing feature but also subjected it to a subscription model, despite seat heating being static hardware that does not change or upgrade over time.
In response to customer dissatisfaction, BMW has decided to cease hardware-based subscriptions. While they will continue offering software-based subscriptions for services like driver assistance and digital assistants, they have discontinued similar models for hardware features.
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