#Subscriptions

Despite numerous vehicle subscription services having gone under in recent years, the industry does not seem ready to throw in the towel. In fact, they’re actually appears to be a swelling sense of optimism that the scheme may make a comeback. With the present economic situation making it more difficult for average people to buy new vehicles, some expect vehicle subscriptions to become increasingly popular as cash-strapped drivers become more desperate to replace what’s in the driveway.

Last year, BMW walked back its decision to offer subscriptions for heated seats. This came after numerous automakers had started considering the financial benefits of placing hardware already equipped to the vehicle behind recurring paywalls. While just about every brand was testing the waters of subscription-based features, German nameplates were the most aggressive and therefore caught the most backlash.

Ultimately, the incurred shame forced the industry to retreat. But the intention to normalize subscriptions remained and BMW has since decided to offer monthly billings on adaptive headlights — which is something you’d expect a luxury brand to offer by default.