{"id":10454,"date":"2022-07-17T15:27:50","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T15:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk"},"modified":"2022-07-17T16:09:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T16:09:56","slug":"bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk","title":{"rendered":"BMW introduces new heated seat subscription in UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>BMW has sparked debate after offering an online subscription to turn on heated front seats in its cars in the UK for \u00a315 per month.<\/b><\/p>\n

A monthly heated steering wheel subscription costs \u00a310.<\/p>\n

Subscriptions have been available for features on BMW cars for some time in the UK, but the heated seat offer started this month.<\/p>\n

The company says customers can enable all hardware features for a one-time payment if they prefer.<\/p>\n

The features are available via BMW’s ConnectedDrive online store and are activated remotely, with no need to visit a dealer.<\/p>\n

The heated seat offer is available in the UK, but the subscriptions that are available vary by country.<\/p>\n

The manufacturer told the BBC that “where heated seats, or any feature available in the ConnectedDrive store have been purchased when a customer vehicle is ordered, no subsequent subscription or payment is necessary”.<\/p>\n

But the company argues that the ability to add new features can be helpful for owners who change their minds after purchase.<\/p>\n

And it is particularly useful, BMW wrote, for second-hand car owners, “as they now have the opportunity to add features the original owner did not choose”.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Subscriptions also enable drivers to “experiment with a feature by purchasing a short-term trial before committing to a purchase”, the company added.<\/p>\n

However, unlimited use of a feature can be purchased.<\/p>\n

For \u00a3200, those with chilly hands can enjoy a warm wheel for “as long as the technical prerequisites are met for this vehicle”.<\/p>\n

Hot debate<\/b><\/p>\n

The news has sparked online debate, with news site The Verge saying: “In the case of heated seats, for example, BMW owners already have all the necessary components, but BMW has simply placed a software block on their functionality that buyers then have to pay to remove.”<\/p>\n

The Register said that while it could work as a way for owners to add features as they can afford them, “on the other hand, it may feel like buying a mug and having to rent the handle”.<\/p>\n

A number of the reports note BMW’s move is part of a wider industry trend with a range of car-makers offering subscriptions.<\/p>\n

There were negative comments on social media too, with one Twitter user writing: “Subscriptions for software is one thing, no-one is going to subscribe for heated seats or whatever, if I own the car I own everything in it.”<\/p>\n

And Kurt Opsahl, general counsel of digital civil liberties campaign group the Electronic Frontier Foundation, tweeted: “A seat heater blocked by software is broken, and the car owner should have the right to repair their seats.”<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. BMW has sparked debate after offering an online subscription to turn on heated front seats in its cars in the UK for \u00a315 per month. A monthly heated steering wheel subscription costs \u00a310. Subscriptions have been available for features on BMW cars for some time in the UK, but the heated seat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":10453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,9,16],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-10454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-miscellaneous","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-botswana","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nBMW introduces new heated seat subscription in UK - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"BMW has sparked debate after offering an online subscription to turn on heated front seats in its cars in the UK for ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BMW introduces new heated seat subscription in UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BMW has sparked debate after offering an online subscription to turn on heated front seats in its cars in the UK for ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-07-17T15:27:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-17T16:09:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2022\/07\/postQueueImg_2-62d434380bc21.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"976\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"549\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"BMW introduces new heated seat subscription in UK\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-07-17T15:27:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-17T16:09:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk\"},\"wordCount\":448,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2022\/07\/postQueueImg_2-62d434380bc21.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Botswana\",\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"homepage-english\",\"miscellaneous\",\"twitter\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bmw-introduces-new-heated-seat-subscription-in-uk\",\"name\":\"BMW introduces new heated seat subscription in UK - 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