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Comment by jms703 | Hacker News Reader

I can see why a car manufacturer would not want to make two versions of each car, one with heated seats and one without. Instead, build it into all of them, and only activate and charge those that actually need it.

Also, the subscription is an option. You can also pay the full price for the feature.

Where I live, I could see using this once or two months a year. Whereas some would need it more and they might just buy the option outright.

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It is mind blowing that this is something people are willing to accept. The feature is there, the ecological damage is done already by including those extra resources, and you've paid for the vehicle but don't actually own its capabilities.

+ Seat heaters are heavy. You drive them around all year long, they will show up on your fuel bill one way or another.

Really? I assumed it’s just some wires in a seat..

They are small light-weight pads.

0.25 kg without the wiring per seat, adds up to 5 seats * 0.25kg + tons of coper wiring.

Not mentioned here: Cooling option + actuators - we are only talking about the basic setup, although that is dishonest, as in the subscription car all options are included.

Exactly, also you have already paid for them, since there is no way they are selling at a loss.

> I can see why a car manufacturer would not want to make two versions of each car, one with heated seats and one without.

In the past this is just how "luxury" options trickled down into standard options. If it's more economical to just produce all cars with the option then it should just be an optimization passed on to the consumer.

I find this pretty surprising in the luxury car market. A lot of features that are standard on base model non-luxury cars are options on luxury cars.

Anyway, this subscription model raises other questions. For example, if I'm paying for the subscription and the seat heater breaks, who is responsible for the repair? Am I paying for a subscription (i.e. lease) of the hardware, or is it just a software subscription?

This reminds me of the blue sweater scene in the Devil Wears Prada: https://youtu.be/us52N76XA28

Customers buying expensive cars are typically less price-sensitive than customers buying less expensive cars; high-end hotels charge for Wi-Fi service that's free at lower-end hotels in the same chain for the same reason.

Well just include it in the price for everyone, duhh. It's just executives trying to squeeze every penny out of their customers. Next thing they'll try is making things subscriptions that ought to be always included. I understand the logic, once you sell one subscription it's easier to upsell more but it's heinous and I hope they'll be ridiculed for this years to come.

Good way to make BMW drivers who aren't entirely filthy rich to start seeing the issues with capitalism.

Heated seats are unimportant in the scale of things, but this is also how capitalism approaches something you literally have no option to do without like health care.

Also since this is _Hacker_ news, it should probably be mentioned that a MIG welder could probably be used to put whatever seats you like into an old used BMW. Buy the body and powertrain that you want, cheaply, do your own maintenance, then fit the aftermarket bells and whistles yourself to make it comfortable.

Heating is an accessory like floor mat, it can be easily added or removed in 2 minutes. No, I don’t believe they try to save on production, but try to take last penny from a consumer: when you know you already have heater installed, you are probably more likely to pay for it, or pay for it half time (at least this is how they think about it).

Build it in the car and offer a purchase option in the center console. Heck do A/B Testing where you offer a lifetime purchase (Upfront or monthly) and a monthly subscription. Then see which sells better.

Plus you could buy or make other economical heating solutions for your seats...BMW driver notwithstanding

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