The blowback worked—but subscriptions for software-based new car features will continue, according to a BMW board member.

BMW Is Giving Up on Heated Seat Subscriptions Because People Hated Them::The blowback worked—but subscriptions for software-based new car features will continue, according to a BMW board member.

  • ocassionallyaduck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3241·
    1 year ago

    Going forward, BMW says it will continue to offer subscription-based services but only for software options, like driver assistance and digital assistant services, which is completely understandable.

    The fuck it is. You offer car features at time of sale. And if you want me to like your brand, at best you offer OTA or wifi updating for free to enhance the experience, and make me want to buy your next car.

    You try and nickel and dime me for shit technology that has been around for 20 years, and I could give two fucks. I’ll plug in my phone, ignore your entire. Infotainment and actively campaign for it to fail and blow up in your face.

    • Wussy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1997·
      1 year ago

      They’re just trying to recoup the cost of being forced to install turn signals even though their drivers don’t need them.

      • mean_bean279@lemmy.worldEnglish
        441·
        1 year ago

        They’re recouping the costs of hiring an in house orthodontist to fix all them buck tooth grills they made.

        • NewNewAccount@lemmy.worldEnglish
          162·
          1 year ago

          They’re hideous. I feel bad for all the people that were finally in a financial position to afford an M3/M4 and have to drive around that monstrosity.

          Do they try to fool themselves into thinking it looks good?

            • hayes_@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              3·
              1 year ago

              You know you can buy literally the cars you wanted as a teenager right?

              Staying on the BMW thread, you can get a mint E46 or E9X M3 for a fraction of the cost of the new ones. Just gotta find one where the owner has taken care of it and kept service records.

          • mean_bean279@lemmy.worldEnglish
            21·
            1 year ago

            What’s sad is that the motor is amazing, and the rear end and 3/4 view is beautiful. That front though instantly ruins it. It could have been an amazing car, but that front is just awful.

          • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            21·
            1 year ago

            I mean the 3/4 is… questionable. But have you seen the 7/X7…? Not to mention the godawful monstrosity that is the XM? Like… what the actual fuck were the designers thinking? And moreover, what fucking imbecilic marketing yahoo thought it was a good idea to unabashedly bastardize literally everything that ///M division was supposed to be about since it’s inception? Like, honestly, I don’t view it as a real “performance” (sub)brand anymore. It’s that bad.

            • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              I actually prefer the 7 series over the 3 series looks. They’re both ugly, but at least the grill on the 7 series fits on the front of the car. The 3/4 series has to extend the hood upwards to fit the grill.

      • saltesc@lemmy.worldEnglish
        19·
        1 year ago

        My running theory for Audi is they started uniquely animating their indicators so people would use them. Not because they should, but because it made them feel special. Thus reducing the stereotype before getting to BMW levels.

        • LUHG@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          I use my left one. My right one has a fault, it needs replacing but the replacement has the same design fault. So, fuck bm in that regard.

    • Brokkr@lemmy.worldEnglish
      321·
      1 year ago

      Agreed, subscriptions only make sense when there is an on-going service, like on-star (no idea if it is worth anything).

      So if the digital assistant and driver assistance programs where getting service updates, then this would make sense. However, I’d say that driver assistance really shouldn’t need a lot of updates if it was truly ready for the road.

      • Rozz@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        12·
        1 year ago

        Exactly, unless it needs the company to have server space or an internet connection then it’s not even close to something that should have a subscription.

    • Kerfuffle@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      193·
      1 year ago

      I’ll plug in my phone, ignore your entire. Infotainment and actively campaign for it to fail and blow up in your face.

      This sounds kind of funny. “I’ll spend $60,000 on your car but I won’t turn on the radio. That’ll show you!”

      • ocassionallyaduck@lemmy.worldEnglish
        123·
        1 year ago

        More like “if this car is otherwise the best option, I’ll go for it, but your policies are actively having me court your compeititors and damaging brand loyalty.”

        • Kerfuffle@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          111·
          1 year ago

          Maybe. I feel like it’s going to be kind of hard to make them care if you’re still buying their product though.

    • IDontHavePantsOn@lemm.eeEnglish
      141·
      1 year ago

      Luxury car makers will have a harder time justifying a high price tag when an electric Kia will match their 0-60.

      Mark my words, cars will be the next common planned obselesence product. As soon as the battery doesn’t take a charge people will junk it and buy another just like the phone market.

      • kalleboo@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        Also you have Chinese BYD making huge inroads in various markets now. They’re going to massively drop the price floor for features that are seen as luxury right now.

    • ViewSonik@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      We all said the same thing about subscription streaming services 5-10 years ago and now look where we are. Nothing we can do unless the masses stop buying this bullshit