My biggest financial vice is replacing my cars too frequently and this whole thing has just struck BMW off my current “long listing” project. But then I find their interiors and interfaces a bit weird so it’s no huge loss.
This is something I’m on the fence about, I think this is a use that’s okay - Tesla have decided to streamline product development by putting the same battery in their cars - and as such still offering a cheaper model for people, but restricting their options.
The other solution, is that Tesla remove the lower range, cheaper option, to more people’s annoyance?
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If it’s the same battery then it’s the same cost to Tesla and arguably the higher cost model is just naked profiteering. The artificial restriction should be removed and it’s the higher cost model that should be removed not the lower.
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It’s a bit like an ICE car having a 50 litre tank, but unless you pay extra you can only put 30 litres in.
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Mine was switched on when I bought it, I was nervous as hell driving 40 mile home with it for the 1st time with no instructor.
After about 15 mins I was burning up, looked down and was like oh that’s why I’m boiling alive 
promptly switched it off.
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My car has heated seats and I never use them. Makes it feel like you’ve pee’d your pants
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I pop the heated passenger seat on sometimes without telling my husband just to see his confused face 
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I use the heated seats all the time. Got a PHEV and the element hits the battery less than putting on the main heater. Also the heated steering wheel is a touch.
Heated seat subscriptions only scratch the surface of an entire industry re-boot. Subscription services will rescue the current, flailing automotive industry. Tesla has intelligently shown the way, with others very close behind.
Like it or not, it’s coming. And it’ll get even weirder.
Need a car for Sunday? No problem - tap on the app and it’ll be there (self-driven to your location) at midnight, ready for use. Want matrix headlights? Option. Want a cool/warm cabin? Option. Want performance or insane mode enabled? Option.
Johnny-cabs here we come
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In the not too distant future it’s possible we won’t own cars at all. We won’t need driveways or huge town centre car parks. You will summon an autonomous car, it will come from some random storage point, drive you to your destination then naff off on its own.
But I feel like that’s unrelated to BMW taking the absolute pee by installing some hardware as standard but refusing to make it accessible to all. Just give people the seats. It would be like a house builder installing windows but making you pay extra to lift up the blinds.
Makes me think of this song
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Personally… We’re a long way off from that, it’s one of them pipe dreams they’ve been talking about since the 50s
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Exactly. Much like many airlines don’t even own the engines on their planes and pay per hour instead (ignoring that many aircraft are leased in full anyhow).
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This is only the stepping-stone to:
I personally don’t think it’s linked. Renting a car for a trip/hour/day etc is a really old practice whether or not we drive it ourselves or a robot does it.
Paying a subscription charge just to remove an artificially installed feature blocker is new and ridiculous.
They’ve just seen SaaS models and thought “I want some of that” even though the business proposal is entirely different.
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We shall see
The US are more relaxed with the rules around this and Tesla can do this to a degree.
It can pull itself out of your garage or a parking space in a lot and and come to you. Then take you where you want to go.
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And take you where you need to go too
Balanced journalism - Auto-pilot saves life, Auto-pilot kills someone
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They’re good for keeping your fish and chips warm on the way back from the chippy.
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Imagine this…
It’s the year 2163, everyone drives BMWs and AUDIs all the other cars have gone extinct. You’re rushing to get to work while your robot overlords control everything we do.
Get into the car put the key in the ignition and BAM… “We couldn’t charge your payment method, please update this in order to drive your car…”
What a world we live in.
OT: It is just BMW that offer subscriptions right, and Tesla I think?
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I’d vote for the robot overlords tbf. I’ve always thought they’d do a better job of governing. Even more sold if they give us all beamers.