BMW is testing the water for locking specific features in its vehicles behind a monthly subscription charge.
As The Drive reports, South Korea is being used as a testing ground to see if new car owners are willing to pay a subscription to unlock non-essential, but desirable options on their vehicle. For example, heated seats require signing up for an $18 per month subscription. Some money can be saved by paying $176 for a year or $283 for three years, though. Permanently unlocking the ability to heat your car seats costs $406.
Similar subscription options are being offered for BMW's Driving Assistance Plus software (from $1/month), high beam assistant (from $8/month), a heated steering wheel, and an artificial noise generator for certain EV models. Unlocking them simply requires signing up for each subscription via a smartphone or PC and access is granted.
I find it hard to believe consumers will accept features being available on a vehicle they purchased, but locked behind a paywall. What possible reason could BMW offer for needing regular payment for a heated seat to work other than profit? BMW did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment, but we'll update this post if it does.