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Heated Seats as a Service? BMW Wants to Sell Car Features on Demand

posted by chromas on Friday July 03 2020, @08:00PM   Printer-friendly
from the cloud-to-butt-plus dept.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Fnord666:

From Ars Technica:

[...] BMW is planning to move some features of its new cars to a subscription model, something it announced on Wednesday during a briefing for the press on the company's digital plans.

[...] the Bavarian carmaker has plans to apply that model to features like heated seats. BMW says that owners can "benefit in advance from the opportunity to try out the products for a trial period of one month, after which they can book the respective service for one or three years." The company also says that it could allow the second owner of a BMW to activate features that the original purchaser declined.

From Roadshow:

These options will be enabled via the car or the new My BMW app. While some will be permanent and assigned to the car, others will be temporary, with mentioned periods ranging from three months to three years.

[...] So, yes, you could theoretically only pay for heated seats in the colder months if you like, or perhaps save a few bucks by only enabling automatic high-beams on those seasons when the days are shortest.

Also at Hot Hardware, The Drive, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, TechSpot, SlashGear & Forbes.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Saturday July 04 2020, @02:11AM (2 children)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Saturday July 04 2020, @02:11AM (#1015963)

    I can totally see some after market rebuilds for used vehicles or even a few companies that offer "bare bones" vehicles with AAB, AC, power windows/locks, and no fancy computer displays.

    If someone does start doing this, sign me up. The thought of buying a new car these days makes me physical ill. I don't want a damn computer screen. You KNOW it will be used for advertising if it isn't already. Will a "modern" car still work at all if I smash this fucking screen? (I'm dead serious) Don't even get me started on all the brain-dead eye-raping blue LED shit.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 04 2020, @08:18PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 04 2020, @08:18PM (#1016227)

    we need to all get behind open source auto initiatives. i want full time all wheel drive, a/c/heat, heated and cooled seats, 2nd zone vents, stereo, navigation, seat fabric that lasts 50 fucking years and is tough as a rhino's ass, manual door, lock, window, seat option as well as manual transmission option, hydrogen, elec and ICE engine options, bullet proof skin and glass, run flat tires and maybe a gun mount with indoor controls and targeting system. Engineered for 300k miles with 200k warranty: bumper to bumper. You know, The Homer.