3 ms·
Their explanation sounds pretty plausible, even if they're using it to cover up the actual intent. Hopefully get get rid of this stupid idea once and for all.
by rconti 5y ago
Their explanation sounds pretty plausible, even if they're using it to cover up the actual intent. Hopefully get get rid of this stupid idea once and for all.
BMW did something similar recently. A few years ago, they announced a plan to make Apple CarPlay a subscription service, then walked it back. And now it sounds like they've made plans for similar options (like heated seats) to be a subscription service.[1]
Not like I have any room to talk, I suppose, since I paid for an OTA feature on my Tesla (basic Autopilot, when it was cheap for 1 week), and at least in theory, the "premium connectivity" is a subscription service, even though it's "lifetime" on my car. (Whether or not it's lifetime when I sell the car to someone else is anybody's guess). And heated seats and homelink are standard on my car, but optional on others -- I wouldn't be surprised if heated seats were installed in all cars but just turned on in software. On the flipside, I was actually shocked to learn the non-homelink cars are, in fact, missing parts. It's actually somehow satisfying when an option you don't pay for is not physically installed, and therefore saved the automaker money. I'm not sure why, I guess I just like the feeling that it's not merely a software flag that you're paying for, or not.
[1] https://www.thedrive.com/news/34547/bmw-is-planning-to-sell-heated-seats-and-more-as-a-subscription-no-really https://www.thedrive.com/news/34547/bmw-is-planning-to-sell-...
- userbinator 5y agoI wouldn't be surprised if heated seats were installed in all cars but just turned on in software. I'm not sure why, I guess I just like the feeling that it's not merely a software flag that you're paying for, or not. Agreed 100%; alternatively, it's because you actually got what you paid for, nothing less --- or more. The "your car already has the equipment, but you're not allowed to use it" mentality is what really angers people because it violates the concept of ownership.
- raverbashing 5y agoThis And to be fair this also means that it's cheap enough to ship it to everybody then charge later. Hence, they're being ultra petty.
- asddubs 5y agoheated seats as a subscription? that's actually hilarious. it's a resistor hooked up to your car battery, i love the idea of paying for that on a monthly basis (in a bad way). but everybody knows the big money is in brakes-as-a-service
- lvs 5y agoI look forward to this consumer exploitation extending further into the home. Door knob as a service, anyone? Or how about an oven that only tells you what temperature it's reached by remote subscription service?
- gnicholas 5y agoCan I subscribe monthly, so I can pay only in the winter time? Or more likely, the price will be higher when its cold out.
- myself248 5y ago> when an option you don't pay for is not physically installed, and therefore saved the automaker money Configuration complexity has a cost, too. In some cases it may be cheaper to build them all the same, especially if the low-spec option didn't sell many units and therefore would've had to make/save a lot of money per unit to justify its existence. But in that case, my humble opinion is that they should simply enable the feature for everyone. Stop pretending there's a no-heated-seat version at all. The complexity of managing a software licensing mess is also significant, and I don't know that they've assigned a cost to the goodwill/bitterness when customers know they're hauling around stuff they can't use unless they agree to be nickel-and-dimed. It seems Toyota might've just learned that has a cost. Good.
- loonster 5y agoMaking custom wiring harnesses for each option would likely be cost prohibited and needlessly complex. If one model has an option, it's likely that all vehicles of the same model are also wired for that feature. Adding features may be as simple as changing out the seats and adding a switch.