Author Topic: Auto giants like BMW, GM and Toyota make drivers ‘subscribe’ for basic features  (Read 621 times)

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Offline Kamaji

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Auto giants like BMW, GM and Toyota make drivers ‘subscribe’ for basic features

By Theo Wayt
August 21, 2022

Motorists are increasingly being forced to pay tacked-on fees and even sign up for pricey subscriptions to get basic features on their cars — and auto giants are telling investors this is only the beginning.

BMW’s recent move to charge car owners in several countries $18 per month to turn on the heated seats in their own vehicles sparked a public outcry, with some would-be buyers calling the move a “dealbreaker.”

But it’s not just BMW: industry watchers and consumer advocates warn that the nickel-and-diming threatens to become standard as automakers chase a recurring revenue model pioneered by Elon Musk’s Tesla.

General Motors recently started requiring buyers of Buick, GMC, and Cadillac Escalade vehicles to pay $1,500 for the mandatory “option” of buying three years of OnStar service, which includes features like voice control and the ability to unlock vehicles from a mobile app. OnStar had previously been optional since GM introduced it in 1996.

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2022/08/21/auto-giants-like-bmw-gm-and-toyota-make-drivers-subscribe-for-basic-features/

Offline Kamaji

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I so much want to go back to a "dumb" car!

Offline DefiantMassRINO

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Hello, Federal Trade Commission ... do your job.

Organizations look to subscription models to create predictable, repeatable multi-year revenue streams.  I suspect they'll try to charge subscriptions for anything that's not a Government-required safety feature.

MBA's figure, if the consumer wants it bad enough, they'll pay.  That was Pharma Bro's price model - if they want to live, they'll find a way to pay.

If I have to return to the days of driving a car with a cold rump, so be it.  I'm a child of the 1970s/1980s.  Heated seat warmers were one of the many luxuries 1978 Plymouth Volare Station Wagons lacked.  A cold tush was the least of our worries.
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Offline cato potatoe

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If consumers are upset at this, just wait until their warranty expires.  Soon thereafter, the auto-stop starter goes out, push button starter malfunctions, turbocharger dies, AWD goes haywire, hybrid battery fades away, dozens of diagnostics will flash on the scanner, and the suspension will need to be overhauled.  When they sort that out, they’ll lose their stupid $400 key fob. 

Offline cato potatoe

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By the way, this feature is something else that will eventually malfunction.  At some point you'll pay for the subscription, but the seat warmer stays dead!  Only the dealership will have the technology to fix it.  When the car surpasses a certain age, they will refuse to work on it.

Offline EdinVA

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By the way, this feature is something else that will eventually malfunction.  At some point you'll pay for the subscription, but the seat warmer stays dead!  Only the dealership will have the technology to fix it.  When the car surpasses a certain age, they will refuse to work on it.
John Deere has been doing this to the farmers for a while now... only people that have the tools and can get the parts are dealers.

Offline Kamaji

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John Deere has been doing this to the farmers for a while now... only people that have the tools and can get the parts are dealers.


Yup.

Online mountaineer

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Now it looks like it's difficult to find tires, not just the fancy options for new cars. Mr. M needs them for his Cherokee and he wanted a particular Continental model because his current set got a lot of mileage. Good luck. They're on backorder, and may have to be back-backordered again. He'll be running on rims before they arrive, I suspect.
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