2022 BMW M4 Competition Photo by Brendan McAleer
BMW says its micro-transaction strategy offers greater flexibility. Customers can activate a feature like seat-heating only during the winter, or upgrade a used BMW that didn’t have the functionality when it was first purchased. Drivers can also test out offerings in its ConnectedDrive store before deciding to purchase them either temporarily or for good. In the future, the carmaker envisions allowing customers to unlock entertainment or higher drivetrain performance, even just for single trips.
“We know from our customers that their mobility demands are not as static as they used to be,” BMW spokesman Torsten Julich said.
That may be so, but the bad press BMW has gotten nevertheless shows the perils of presenting new digital services without careful explanation. The company has been through this before, getting grief for briefly offering Apple’s CarPlay on a subscription basis in 2019 before backing off. It was skewered last year merely for evaluating the heated seat as a service idea, then went ahead with it anyway.
It’s clear BMW and its peers have more to learn about what customers are willing to pay for, and what they should get for free after having made what is typically a consumer’s the second-most costly purchase, after a home.
Keyword: BMW bets the fuss over its heated-seat subscriptions will pass