Το μέλλον θα έχει πολλά ενδιαφέροντα. Να ας πούμε,
η BMW ετοιμάζει συνδρομητικό μοντέλο εξοπλισμού στα αυτοκίνητά της. Στο άρθρο λέει ότι δεν ξέρουν ακόμα ακριβώς πως θα γίνει το πράγμα αλλά λογικά θα έρχεται το αυτοκίνητο φουλ έξτρα και ότι πακέτο πληρώσεις θα λειτουργεί για όσο πληρώσεις. Θες θερμαινόμενα καθίσματα; Πλήρωσε ένα τρίμηνο του χειμώνα για να ενεργοποιηθούν. Στην γραμμή παραγωγής συμφέρει γιατί θα βγαίνει ένας τύπος οχήματος μόνο και θα εξαρτάται από τον πελάτη τι θα αξιοποιήσει από αυτά που έχει πληρώσει...
Φαντάζομαι σε λίγο καιρό το ίδιο θα γίνεται στις μοτό. Γκριπάκια θέτε; ABS Pro θέτε; Dynamic suspension θέτε; Συνδρομή. Δεν θα πληρώνετε μόνο το νέτφλιξ, γατάκια. Και αν δουλέψει το μοντέλο των Γερμανών, μαντέψτε ποιοί και πόσοι ακόμα θα ακολουθήσουν, όλοι
Μερικοί, τυχαία λέμε τώρα η ΚΤΜ, ήδη χρεώνουν την εφαρμογή που θα συνδέει το κινητό με την μοτοσικλέτα... Δεν έχω μάθει αν η χρέωση ακολουθεί τον χρήστη ή κλειδώνει στην μοτοσικλέτα και μετά πρέπει να πληρώσεις για το επόμενο ΚΤΜ σου.
This week saw BMW announce – via a virtual reality press conference – several features of its all-new Operating System 7, which will arrive in the new 2021 5-Series this month, before rolling out more widely via an over-the-air update.
Some of the features of OS7 feel like real game-changers, like how an iPhone can be used instead of the key fob, and BMWs can warn each other about hazards ahead and slippery road conditions.
But what has garnered the most attention in the 24 hours since journalists removed their VR headsets, is a complex new subscription model.
BMW is still being fairly vague for now, and there has been no word at all on prices. But what it has said, is that features like advanced driver assistance systems, augmented sports exhaust sounds, adaptive M suspension and, yes, heated seats, could be offered on a subscription basis, with periods mentioned ranging from one month to three years.
That all seems fairly convenient if pitched the right way, but it also looks like BMW charging a recurring subscription for items already fitted to the car. Because that’s what it is.
BMW will of course have factored the cost of fitting heated seats and other hardware into the overall cost of the car, even if they are never activated, so the buyer is in a way paying for their fitment anyway. They just can’t use them until they cough up some more cash on a regular basis.
The German automaker hasn’t yet explained exactly how the system will work, but imagine hitting the heated seat button on a cold morning, only to be told your subscription has expired. Perhaps you could opt for a free one-month trial and hope spring arrives by then.
Some features – again, we don’t know exactly which – will incur a one-time cost instead of a regular subscription.
BMW isn’t the first car company to do this. Tesla lets buyers upgrade their Autopilot system by paying after taking delivery of the car. It also previously unlocked extra battery capacity the same way, since at the time the cars already carried the same physical battery pack, but were sold at a range of prices depending on how much of the pack was available to use. But where that felt like a sensible and cost-effective production method from a trend-bucking startup, BMW’s move feels somewhat less hospitable