This article's 90% outrage and 10% material. The idea is still in its infancy so we don't see an impact in prices yet -- there aren't enough models with this f

This article's 90% outrage and 10% material. The idea is still in its infancy so we don't see an impact in prices yet -- there aren't enough models with this function to price out a difference. Here are my questions: 1. Would this work for much more than small conveniences? Heated seats, steering wheel, wifi, etc? Where it's literally cheaper to build 1 part instead of 2. 2. If it's cheaper to always build in the feature, why wouldn't a competitor just include the feature as standard? The auto market is pretty competitive, and Brother did pretty well just by not screwing up their printers. 3. Will people get turned off at the fear of higher replacement part costs? 4. Has this grown past the small-experiment stage? Is it any more than BMW heated seats?