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Subscription of features within a vehicle - OK for certain things that you may or may not use, depending on what you would like to use. As long as cost is not too expensive, or it will lead to paying to have the hardware as we currently do (the cost of the vehicle upfront that came with the features you'd selected as options) and then added cost through the lifetime ownership to use the hardware you've already paid for through software coded release of it.
Roll forward a few years, how about this for a potential scenario (not just BMW):
Dealer: Thank you for buying the vehicle! We'd like to add your subscription services now and need your continuous payment authorisation to proceed before we can hand over the vehicle to you.
You: Surely I can pay when I need the feature? Why is continuous payment needed now before I get the car?
Dealer: Oh, were you not clear on how the subscription service works - it was in the contract documents you signed at order placement - even the unlock/lock feature is a subscription service, charged at £5/€5/$5 every time you use it? So continuous authorisation is needed for this?
You: What? No way, this should have been crystal clear in the description of this to me - no other vehicles have had this in the past! So it's a £20/€20/$20 per day charge just to go one trip?
Dealer: Well, no, it will be more depending on what else you do beyond unlocking and locking the vehicle.....
You: What do you mean, depends on what else.... What else are you talking about?
Dealer: Well, if you start the car, that's another £5/€5/$5 charge, same for stopping it. And same for turning on the ventilation system, heated/cooling on the seats, the radio, the lights, turn signals, in fact anything you touch will be charged for.... That's in additional to using other features that have the higher charges, like adding your smartphone to Bluetooth. You really should have read the small print on this section on your order docs, it was all their for your info, before you signed it. Your committed now.....
A bit far fetched, but where would subscription type services actually stop in future?
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