Here's some news that might shock you: drivers really don't like paying extra for car features they expect as standard. BMW is one of several automakers that have been nickel and diming customers, including with a monthly subscription for heated seats in certain models and territories. The company has dropped that controversial practice to focus on paid software services — it no longer plans to charge drivers extra to use hardware features that are already in their cars.
Pieter Nota, BMW's board member for sales and marketing, told Autocar that the brand will train its attention on paid software features such as driving assistance and parking assistance. Nota suggested that's a more accepted practice, akin to downloading a movie or accessing a paid feature in an app.