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There are several services motorists are already used to getting on a subscription basis with their vehicle. Two examples are satellite radio and connected services offered by automakers.
BMW has been looking to expand that concept for some time. As The Drive reports, the company is now offering subscription-based options in South Korea. This means a consumer can decide to pay a monthly fee for options like heated seats, for example.
This is eye-opening.
First, it’s important to keep in mind that owners don’t have to pay if they do not want the option. This can be an interesting way for buyers to lower the price of a model... as long as the options on the à la carte menu are items they can live without. In the case of heated seats, the truth is they're only useful for a few months a year. Users can pay by the month, by the year, for a three-year period or just buy the option outright.
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Other subscription-based functions include automatic low beams, BMW's Driving Plus software, heated steering wheel and the artificial noise that the i4 electric sedan can provide in a driving situation.
The concept is being applied only in South Korea for now, and there's no guarantee that it will make its way to North America. But it is an intriguing possibility; the big X factor is which options will be offered this way.
Another consideration is the possibility of owners hacking their way into free options. It seems certain some clever folks will find ways to circumvent measures in place to unlock options and save money. Recently, The Drive reports, some Ford Maverick owners learned that they could unlock the cruise control on entry-level models simply by swapping the steering wheel buttons and using certain software.
Time will tell how that plays out.