BMW makes seat heating and engine noise for subscriptions

In the past, car manufacturers have had to keep track of the dozens of options customers can choose from, which complicates the manufacturing process on the assembly line. BMW started 2020 to test another method instead: Include more hardware components as standard, but make the activation of them a software feature the customer can buy or subscribe to.

Now reports The Verge that the German car manufacturer has started to expand the functions that are “sold” in this way to also include, among other things, seat heating. Those who want warm seats can pay around SEK 180 a month (or a one-time fee of SEK 4,200).

Other functions that become subscriptions are heated steering wheel (SEK 120 a month), speed camera warning (SEK 250), a function that automatically switches the headlights on and off in oncoming traffic (SEK 100) and “Iconicsounds Sport” which for a one-time fee of one thousand kronor sounds listen to the engine noise inside the passenger compartment.

The subscription services are rolling out at different rates in different countries and the above applies to the United Kingdom and Germany, among others. It is worth pointing out that all functions that can be subscribed to can also be unlocked “permanently” for a significantly higher one-time price.