In an expansion of its ConnectedDrive Store, BMW wants to give owners of its cars the option to access specific hardware and software features through a subscription (via Autoblog). BMW hasn’t detailed exactly how the service will work, but the short version is that the automaker would offer select driver-assistance and comfort features in exchange for a reoccurring fee. All of the features the automaker wants to monetize would already be built into the car when you buy it, and you would pay for them through the company’s ConnectedDrive Store.
Modern-day car packaging or trim levels are a highly complex phenomenon. While it’s fun to play with online car configurators, speccing your dream model with the right color accent around the a/c vents or ticking only the necessary equipment on the options list, the reality can be somewhat overwhelming given all the bells and whistles on offer.
BMW might have the answer to reducing this complexity as it tries to blend in its sales strategy with the increasingly subscription-based lifestyle of today’s consumer. Of course, the company is well-aware of this trend and the repercussions of exploiting it, but the new approach of allowing customers to enable and subscribe to optional creature comforts OTA after they’ve bought the car is certainly interesting.
BMW’s idea is to let customers trial and enable vehicle functions and optional equipment on demand through its ConnectedDrive store. This means that the company would ship its cars with optional equipment like blind spot detection, night vision, heated seats or a heated steering wheel, offer them for a limited-time free trial, and then let the owner decide if they want to keep this feature by subscribing for a set period of time.
While BMW won’t likely add the cost of optional features to the car’s MSRP, since the customer didn’t originally request them, the company would initially need to absorb the expense of hardware and installation, which it could then recoup through customer subscriptions. Additionally, BMW’s production and assembly processes might also benefit from this streamlined approach.
It’s easy to see why a service like this would be appealing to an automaker. It will allow BMW to continue making money on cars that have entered the used market. Moreover, this isn’t the first time the company has tried something like this. In 2019, BMW introduced an $80 per year fee for people to use Apple CarPlay in its cars. The company later scrapped the subscription after BMW owners complained about it.
The plan also fits into a broader trend of automakers trying to move beyond one-time purchases. Companies like Cadillac and Porsche have experimented with subscriptions that allow people to swap cars on demand. But BMW’s latest take on the model seems unsavory in a way those services did not.
