The German car giant's latest models will roll out of the factory with all of the top-tier kit already installed - but locked behind a paywall
German car giant BMW has been criticised after introducing a new model for premium car features that will see cars kitted out with top-line equipment that can only be "unlocked" with a monthly subscription.
BMW's ConnectedDrive website offers free trials of features - which also include automatic cruise control, dash cam recording and heated steering wheels - on cars where the hardware has been "installed...during production, at no extra cost". Pricing ranges from £10 a month for a heated steering wheel and £15 a month for heated seats through to as much as £35 a month for the Driving Assistant Plus automatic cruise control.
A spokesperson for the car manufacturer told the BBC that the features can be purchased when ordering the car like any other option, meaning that the subscription can be bypassed. They also suggested that pre-installing the hardware for top-tier features could benefit second-hand car owners, who can add the features they want without modifying the car.
One Twitter user asked the company: "How does manufacturing redundant parts which may never be used fit in with your environmental policy?"
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