BMW offers subscription service to heat British car seats

BMW is offering British drivers the option to enjoy a heated seat for a monthly subscription.

Of course, it’s still possible to have heated seats in the normal way — just buy them as options when you buy the car.

But for people who didn’t, or who bought a used car without the feature, BMW will enable it for a monthly fee so the driver can experience what it’s like to have a nice warm seat on a cold day.

Heated seats, purchased on a subscription basis, will cost British drivers £10 a month, the equivalent of around £65.

BMW executives have been talking for years about plans to offer certain features, including, yes, subscription heated seats.

The heating coils and other equipment needed to actually heat the seats are already in the car, but owners can, if they wish, pay a monthly fee to BMW to allow them to actually run.

The benefits would be buying the car with a lower starting price and being able to only pay for the resource when it is needed, such as in winter. In addition, the second or third owner could pay — or not — for the desired resources.

Naturally, if drivers opting for the program don’t make their payments, BMW will turn off their heated seats.

The features offered by subscription vary by market, the automaker said. Heated seats were cited as an example of something that wouldn’t be offered on a subscription basis in the US, because US luxury car customers don’t expect to have to pay monthly for it like they do with Netflix.

But heated steering wheels could be offered by a similar plan, BMW commented in 2020. However, that hasn’t happened yet.

Some other features are already being offered by subscription in the United States. Currently, US owners can purchase “remote start” separately, a feature that allows drivers to start the engine from a distance so the car can warm up.

Another feature that is also available by subscription is the so-called “BMW Drive Recorder”, which uses the car’s external cameras (which are typically used for features like lane keeping assist) to make video recordings like a dash cam.

The features are offered in an online store called the BMW ConnectedDrive Store, which includes certain car functionality under the title of BMW Functions on Demand.

“With BMW Functions on Demand, customers will be able to explore new software-based features on a short-term basis by purchasing a trial, purchasing this feature for a period or for a lifetime for the vehicle,” the spokesperson explained via email. by BMW Alexander Schmuck.

Features that are paid for when the vehicle is purchased will not be available via subscription later. The proposal is simply a way for BMW car owners, and perhaps second and third owners, to experience features that may not have been “unlocked” when the vehicle was first purchased.

Automotive resource subscriptions are not limited to BMW.

Other brands

Subaru also charges a monthly fee for an in-app remote start function (although it also sells unlimited remote start for a higher upfront cost), and Tesla has used software for years to artificially limit battery capacity on its newer models. accessible, sometimes unlocking a greater ability in certain situations.

Other automakers have also talked about charging monthly fees for regularly updated technology, such as advanced steering and navigation assistance systems.