Would YOU pay £15/month for a warm bottom? BMW sparks controversy over new heated seat subscription service – with furious drivers calling the car giant ‘greedy’
- BMW has launched a new subscription service for heated seats in its cars
- Drivers pay £15/month, £150/year, £250/3 years, or £350 for unlimited access
- BMW hopes it will allow drivers to experiment with features before committing
- But many drivers have slammed the car giant as ‘greedy’
With temperatures in parts of the UK expected to hit 33C this week, the last thing any drivers are thinking about is heated seats.
But a fierce debate has been sparked online, following the news that BMW is offering a subscription service to turn on heated seats in its cars.
The service will see drivers charged £15/month to turn on heated front seats, and an additional £10/month to switch on the heated steering wheel.
BMW hopes the service will be helpful for owners who change their minds after purchase.
However, sceptics have called BMW ‘greedy’, and claim that if the technology is already built into the cars, users should have access.
A heated debate has been sparked online, following the news that BMW is offering a subscription service to turn on heated seats in its cars
The service will see drivers charged £15/month to turn on heated front seats, and an additional £10/month to switch on the heated steering wheel
How much does it cost?
BMW drivers can choose from various packages:
1 month trial – FREE
1 month – £15
1 year – £150
3 years – £250
Unlimited – £350
While subscriptions have been available via BMW’s ConnectedDrive store since 2020, the heated seat option has only been added this month.
Drivers can choose from various options to activate heated seats in their cars.
This includes paying £15/month, £150/year, £250/three years, or £350 for unlimited access.
On its website, BMW explains: ‘If driver and front passenger heat seating is available to you, the hardware for this feature has already been installed in your vehicle during production, at no extra cost.
‘Activation after purchase is quick and easy using an over-the-air remote software download: Add driver and front passenger seat heating to your shopping cart. Enter your payment details and confirm the purchase.
‘You will receive an email confirming your purchase.
‘The service is then activated in your vehicle or will be the next time you drive your BMW.’
Other options on the ConnectedDrive store include steering wheel heating for £10/month, high beam assistant for £10/month, and Apple CarPlay Preparation for £265.
Speaking to MailOnline, a spokesperson for BMW claimed that the subscriptions enable drivers to ‘experiment’ with features before committing.
‘The ConnectedDrive Store offers customers the opportunity to add selected features, which they did not order when the vehicle was built, at a later date,’ the spokesperson said.
Furious drivers have slammed the service as ‘greedy’, with many taking to Twitter to discuss the subscription service
‘This can be helpful for new customers should their circumstances change after their purchase.
‘For secondary owners, this functionality is particularly useful, as they now have the opportunity to add features the original owner did not choose.’
However, many furious drivers have slammed the service as ‘greedy’.
Taking to Twitter, one user said: ‘BMW are seriously asking for monthly subscriptions for heated seats, heated steering wheels.
‘Components that already exist in your very expensive cars controlled by software #greedy Opportunistic.
‘What next? “We are sorry but your car not be driven on Sundays.”‘
Another added: ‘BMW started selling subscriptions for heated seats in their luxury models. I don’t care how wealthy you are, you’re an IDIOT if you go along with this.’
One pointed out: ‘Its like buying a laptop with a built in camera and having to pay the PC company every month to use that camera.’
And another user joked: ‘I would rather light $18 on fire before I gave it to BMW for subscription heated seats.’
Bored of your car’s colour? BMW unveils colour-changing all-electric iX
Can’t decide on the colour of your next car? Well, BMW has you covered with their all-electric iX Flow, which changes from black to white at the push of a button.
The German automobile firm unveiled the chameleon-like sports activity vehicle today at the Consumer Electronics Show, which is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The colour changing ability uses the same ‘E Ink’ electrophoretic technology built into the screens of e-Book readers, except applied to a special car body wrap.
Electrophoresis works by using an applied electric field to separate molecules — in this case, black and white pigments — based on their respective electric charges.
Alongside the aesthetic benefits, changing the car’s colour could also be used to take some of the strain off of the air con/heating system, the designers explained.
In the future, the same technology may also be applied to the inside of new BMW models, allowing drivers to change the colour of their car interior as well.
Can’t decide on the colour of your next car? Well, BMW has you covered with their all-electric iX Flow, which changes from black grey to white (as pictured) at the push of a button
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