Chances are you've heard it already, but BMW officially decided not to offer heated seats as a paid subscription option in its cars. According to Peter Nota, Member of the Board of Directors, the customers were less than enthusiastic about this feature – but other subscriptions will remain alive.
According to a company rep, most buyers seem to be convinced that they are paying twice for the same feature, although this is not the case. BMW decided to eliminate the misunderstanding by not charging extra fees for the options already physically implemented in the car. Starting soon, these features will revert to being factory-installed options: you either specify them outright, no monthly payments required, or simply get a car with no such hardware installed.
Any features that require downloading additional software for activation will continue to be offered on subscription basis. These are mostly driving assist features and new infotainment services. BMW said it intended to expand the list going forward, too.
Heated seats became a subscription option last summer. Many BMW fans were frustrated with this decision, arguing that they felt no obligation to regularly pay for what is supposed to be included in the base spec or otherwise always be available to the driver just as long as it is physically installed in a car.