BMW is launching a subscription service for optional features in its cars, most notably, heated seats.
The service is being launched in the UK, where BMW buyers will have to pay a monthly fee for features.
BMW will charge UK customers £15 ($18) per month for heated seats and £10 ($12) for the heated steering wheel.
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Adaptive high beam for the headlights is also £10, while adaptive cruise control is one of the more expensive at £35 ($41) per month.
Want to avoid a speeding ticket? BMW will even let you pay £25 ($29) a month for info on where they are.
Owners can access these subscriptions through the ConnectedDrive Store in their car’s infotainment system.
Of course, the kicker here is knowing that all the hardware for heated seats or adaptive cruise was already built into your BMW.
The updated BMW 3 Series is a prime example of this, as it no longer even has physical heated seat buttons; it’s all controlled through the screen.
So paying by the month for something that’s already there does leave a bit of a bitter taste.
In some ways, things like heated seats are only really required during winter.
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So perhaps there’s some merit to only paying for them during colder months.
However, BMW will also offer some features to be retrospectively bought outright from the ConnectedDrive Store as well.
Adaptive cruise control is one example at £750 ($887) outright.
Even adaptive M suspension can be retrofitted at the push of a button for $399 ($472). Go figure.
It’s currently unclear whether BMW will roll out this subscription service in other countries.
Australia is one market it has been ruled out for at this stage as a BMW spokesperson confirmed to Drive.
But BMW models coming out in the next year or two may start to see these subscription-activated features roll out more widely.
